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Why is it so hard to lose weight?

I'm not insanely overweight, but it is something where I keep trying to make a conscious effort in order to get slimmer and go consistently to the gym, but I keep messing up somewhere in the process before I can really see the results and really stick to it. I have bad eating habits, and I'm not the best at resisting unhealthy food when I set my mind to it, but it's also not impossible. I started participating in Lent these past few years, two years ago I gave up chocolate, and once I actually managed to do that this year i completely gave up unhealthy food. For how prevalent junk food is in my life, I thought it was going to be impossible. However, I took it week after week, and actually managed to pull it off. I was insanely proud of myself, but because ever since I ate junk food to congratulate myself, I'm been slowly gaining weight since, where all the progress I made from Lent is gone at this point. Ever since high school, once I gained a certain amount of weight I've kept it on ever since. I used to participate in soccer and basketball and was in decent shape, but now in college I'm not in anything, and I haven't been disciplined enough to continuously go to the gym even though most times I enjoy working out and playing sports. I just want to be consistent to the point I can go back to the shape I used to be in when I was in high school, just hopefully with more muscle this time.

Am I just Lazy?

For a decent portion of my life, academically as long as I’ve tried my best I’ve been one of the top of my class. I’m posting because there have been times where although there’s nothing too bearing on my life, I just don’t do the things I need to do to succeed. The work isn’t hard, it’s time consuming and takes conscious effort but it’s nothing I can’t do, but the thing is there’s been so many times these past few years I just haven’t done it. I don’t know why, I want to succeed, but sometimes I don’t do what I need to in order to get that success. My friends are good, my family is good, but my motivation just lacks at times and I keep ending up at the end of the semester scrambling over assignments I could’ve easily done on time and with lackluster grades. At the beginning of the semester I’m always excited about doing better, but it seems like every semester ends up the same. Do I have bad habits? A bad system to motivate me? Or maybe I just don’t have the drive I need to be truly great? I’m not sure, but I want to be successful and make myself proud, along with my family, because I know what I’m capable of and I’m so tired of not achieving my best.

I think I chose the wrong major

I'm about to start my senior year and I feel like I've somehow made it all the way here before realizing I might not want the thing I've been working toward for years. I've been a biology major since freshman year because I always planned on going to medical school. Everyone knows that's what I'm doing. My family talks about it constantly, my friends think that's my future, and honestly I thought it was too. The problem is that the closer I get to actually applying, the less excited I am. I don't hate biology and I don't hate medicine, but whenever I picture myself actually becoming a doctor I don't feel excited. Mostly I just feel stressed. Meanwhile, the thing I've enjoyed most in college has been writing. I've written for the school paper, done some freelance stuff online, and every time I'm working on something writing-related I completely lose track of time. The idea of changing directions this late sounds insane though. My parents have spent a lot helping me get through school and I know they'd support me eventually, but I also know they'd be shocked. Sometimes I think maybe everyone feels this way before a big career decision and I should just push through it. Other times I feel like I'm about to spend the next 40 years doing something because I was too scared to admit I wanted something else. I genuinely don't know which possibility scares me more.

My coworker keeps taking credit for my things and I do not know if I am overreacting

I work in operations at a midsize company. There is a coworker on my team who is generally nice, but she keeps doing this thing where she repeats ideas I brought up earlier and suddenly they become “her” ideas. It is not huge stuff. For example, I suggested creating a shared tracker for vendor issues in a private chat. Two days later in a team meeting, she said, “I was thinking we should make a vendor tracker,” and everyone loved it. She did not mention that I had already suggested it. Another time I cleaned up a messy spreadsheet and sent it to her before a meeting. In the meeting she said, “I cleaned up the spreadsheet so we can all see it better.” I feel petty even typing this because these are not life-changing things. But it keeps happening, and now I feel tense whenever we collaborate. I do not want to become someone who is constantly guarding credit. I also do not want to keep swallowing it and becoming bitter.

My new job is remote and I am starting to feel invisible

I started a remote job four months ago. The work is fine, the pay is better than my last job, and everyone is polite. But I feel weirdly invisible. Meetings are mostly cameras off. People are friendly in Slack but not actually personal. I finish my tasks, send updates, and then close my laptop feeling like I barely existed all day. At my old job, I complained about the commute and office small talk. Now I miss random conversations by the coffee machine, which is annoying because I used to hate those conversations. I am not lonely in my whole life, but I feel lonely during the workday. I also worry that because nobody really knows me, I will be easier to forget when opportunities come up. Is this just remote work, or am I failing to put myself out there?

My boss offered me a promotion, but it would mean managing my best friend

I work on a small marketing team of six people. My boss pulled me aside last week and said she wants me to apply for a team lead role that is opening up. On paper, it is exactly what I have wanted. Better pay, more say in strategy, and probably the first real step toward management. The problem is that my closest friend at work would report to me if I got it. We started at the company around the same time, complain to each other constantly, and eat lunch together almost every day. She also applied for the role, but I know from my boss that I am the stronger candidate. I feel guilty even considering it. If I get the job, I worry she will think I betrayed her. If I do not apply, I feel like I am shrinking my own career to protect a friendship that might change anyway. I have never managed anyone before, and the idea of giving feedback to someone I text memes to every day feels extremely uncomfortable.

I feel weird charging my friends for photography

I started doing photography as a hobby during college, mostly portraits and graduation pictures. Recently people have started asking me to shoot events or engagement photos. Strangers pay my rate without making it weird. Friends are different. Last weekend a friend asked if I could shoot her engagement party “as my gift.” It would be four hours, plus editing. I said I would think about it, but I already feel guilty asking for money. Part of me thinks friends should support your work by paying you. Another part of me thinks maybe I am being too transactional with people I care about. I am not trying to get rich off my friends. I just do not want my weekends to become free labor because I happen to own a camera.

The promotion made me feel more trapped

I got promoted last month and everyone keeps saying congrats, but honestly I feel heavier than before. More meetings, more politics, and now I barely do the part of the job I was good at. I know this sounds ungrateful. The pay raise helps. But I keep wondering if I climbed into a version of work that doesn't fit me at all. Has anyone taken a step back after getting promoted?

Should I take the safer career path?

I'm graduating soon and have two opportunities in front of me. The first is a stable corporate job with good pay and clear advancement opportunities. The second is joining a small startup in a field I'm genuinely passionate about. Most people in my life are encouraging the safer option, but I can't shake the feeling that I may regret not taking a chance while I'm still young. I'm curious how others approach decisions like this and whether you prioritize personal fulfillment or long-term stability.

I stopped waiting for certainty

For years I thought every important decision should feel obvious before I made it. When choosing a college, deciding whether to change majors, and later deciding whether to take a new job, I kept waiting for some moment where I'd suddenly know the right answer. That moment never came. What I've realized is that many of life's biggest decisions aren't about finding the perfect option. They're about choosing a reasonable path and then committing enough effort to make that path work. Looking back, almost every decision that changed my life positively felt uncertain at the time. If I had waited until I was 100% confident, I probably wouldn't have made any of them. One question that helps me now is: "If both options worked out well, which one would I regret not trying?" That doesn't always give me an answer, but it often reveals what I actually want beneath all the fear. Sometimes the goal isn't to eliminate uncertainty. Sometimes the goal is learning how to move forward despite it.

Everyone around me seems ahead of me

Lately it feels like everyone I know is accomplishing major life milestones. Some are getting engaged, some are buying houses, some are starting impressive careers. Meanwhile I feel like I'm still figuring things out. I know comparison isn't healthy, but it's difficult not to feel behind sometimes.

I got the job I wanted and I'm still unhappy

For the past three years I was focused on getting a specific job. I finally got it, and everyone around me congratulated me. The problem is that after a few months, I don't feel any happier than before. I don't hate the job, but I thought reaching this goal would feel more meaningful. Now I'm wondering if I've spent years chasing something without really thinking about why I wanted it.

A coworker takes credit for tiny things and it annoys me

There’s someone on my team who constantly says “I handled that” for stuff that was either group work or barely work at all. It’s not dramatic enough to report, but it’s enough that managers seem to think they’re more involved than they are. I don’t want to become petty. I also don’t want to keep being invisible. How do you advocate for yourself without sounding like you’re keeping score?

My boss is nice, which makes leaving harder

I got an offer from another company with better pay and a role that lines up more with what I want. The problem is my current boss is genuinely kind and has supported me a lot. I feel guilty leaving even though I know people do it all the time. How do you leave a good boss without feeling like a traitor?

The startup offer sounds exciting but chaotic

I have an offer from a tiny startup. The people are smart, the product is interesting, and the role would be way bigger than my current one. But the company is messy and the benefits are not great. My current job is boring but stable. I keep flipping between “take the leap” and “don’t be naive.”

I feel awkward asking for a raise

I know I should ask. I’ve taken on more work, I have decent results, and inflation is real. But every time I think about the conversation, I feel like I’m being greedy. How do people get comfortable advocating for money without feeling gross?

I am unsure whether to start over

Starting over sounds exciting in theory and exhausting in reality. I am deciding whether to change careers after investing years into my current path. I would love perspectives from people who restarted and people who chose to build on what they already had.

I’m not sure I want to turn my hobby into a business

People keep telling me I should sell my art. It’s flattering, but the second I think about pricing, shipping, posting, marketing, I feel the joy leaving my body. Maybe I’m wasting an opportunity. Or maybe some things are allowed to stay mine.

I got what I wanted and still feel unhappy

I worked hard for a specific internship and finally got it. Everyone around me is excited for me, and I know I should feel grateful. But after the initial excitement faded, I still felt anxious and unsure. It makes me wonder whether I wanted the opportunity itself or just the validation of getting it.

I feel guilty wanting a different life than my family expects

My family has always imagined that I would live close to home, follow a practical career path, and help out often. I love them, but I want to move away and build a life that feels more like mine. I feel selfish even typing that. Has anyone balanced family expectations with wanting independence?

Depending on how long you've been investing into your career, honestly it might be best to stick to that path. Keep doing what you're good at instead of adding so much uncertainty in your life, the prospect of complete change is exciting until everything changes.

A practical life can totally be meaningful, success and meaning is subjective to you. If you achieve what you want in this life, whether through safe or risky methods it doesn't matter.

From a career perspective, you don't have to frame this as medicine versus writing forever. There are paths that combine science and communication, like medical writing, health journalism, research communications, public health content, or science education. You might be assuming the only choices are doctor or random freelance writer, but your biology background could still matter even if you don't go to med school.

From a career perspective, you don't have to frame this as medicine versus writing forever. There are paths that combine science and communication, like medical writing, health journalism, research communications, public health content, or science education. You might be assuming the only choices are doctor or random freelance writer, but your biology background could still matter even if you don't go to med school.

I'll give a slightly different take. I don't think every career needs to be your passion. A lot of people like the stability their job gives them more than the job itself. But there's a difference between not being obsessed with medicine and feeling trapped every time you picture the future. Before making a huge decision, I'd talk to doctors, writers, advisors, maybe even take a gap year if possible. Don't decide only from panic.

I'll give a slightly different take. I don't think every career needs to be your passion. A lot of people like the stability their job gives them more than the job itself. But there's a difference between not being obsessed with medicine and feeling trapped every time you picture the future. Before making a huge decision, I'd talk to doctors, writers, advisors, maybe even take a gap year if possible. Don't decide only from panic.