DEAR HARRIETTE: Recently I’ve noticed a lot of people are giving themselves shots to lose weight. Several of my colleagues have gone on these extreme diets (or so they appear to me) and dropped as much as 75 pounds in a few months. I need to lose weight, but it is coming off very slowly. I’m wondering if I should try one of these plans. I’m worried, though, as I have high blood pressure, diabetes and other ailments. I don’t know if a shot that makes you lose weight fast might interact with my other medications and cause problems, but I don’t want to miss out on a way to jump-start my weight loss. Am I being too cautious? Should I try one of these methods? I think one of them was originally meant for people with diabetes. -- Need To Lose Weight

DEAR NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT: Before trying any type of weight-loss plan, you must see your doctor. Talk to them about your concerns and ask about the popular methods to see if any of them are safe for you. You are smart to be concerned about what might interact with your current medications. Your doctor should be able to help you assess that.

While this may not sound as sexy as one of the current trends, working with a nutritionist is one way to go to inspire weight loss. A nutritionist will help you determine the best foods and portion sizes for your body. It will likely take longer to reach your result with a modified diet, but if you keep it up, you can create a lifestyle change for yourself that will ultimately get you to your goal.

DEAR HARRIETTE: Every time I go to the town where I went to high school, I look up my old friends. I make the effort to see the ones I was closest to, usually making a call or sending a text weeks before I arrive. Recently, I have noticed that one of my friends hardly ever responds. When he does, it’s always vague and noncommittal. I don’t understand what’s going on. We were so close back in the day, and to my knowledge nothing bad has happened between us. He did get married some years ago. I wonder if his wife is blocking him from seeing me. I am not trying to take her man. I would be happy to see her, too. How can I address this? -- Old Friends

DEAR OLD FRIENDS: Next time you reach out to this friend, ask him if he and his wife can join you for drinks or dinner the next time you are in town. Explicitly include her so that your intention is clear. Yes, she may be the blocker. It is possible that he has hidden feelings for you that she senses even if he is suppressing them.

Instead of second-guessing the situation, see if this open invitation works. Then feel them out if you get together to learn if there’s room for you to be friends with them both.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: I had a dream the other day that my assistant was about to resign. For the next few days, every time I talked to her, I halfway held my breath knowing that the next thing she was going to say to me was goodbye. And yet it wasn’t. She did ask to speak to me about several sensitive matters. They all turned out to be various business dealings that we were handling -- until she wanted to talk about something else.

A week after having that premonition, my assistant told me she had “bittersweet news.” I knew what was next. She had, in fact, found a new job. She handled sharing the news with me well, and, of course, I wasn’t surprised. It’s so weird. I really did know before she said a word. People have called me clairvoyant. I don’t know about that. I do know that my assistant and I are in alignment, and I knew what was going to happen. Because we work so well together, I’m wondering if I should try to get her to stay. What do I do with this uncanny awareness that I have? -- Clairvoyant

DEAR CLAIRVOYANT: It probably took a lot for your assistant to share her news. Don’t try to keep her from her next opportunity. Instead, thank her for her time with you. You can tell her you had a sense that this was coming. Ask her to help you find an adequate replacement. Plan together for what needs to happen before she leaves.

As far as your sixth sense, use it to help guide your steps, not to stop others from living their lives.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I took the train home the other day. At one of the stops on this three-hour journey, a young man sat next to me in his assigned seat. We were seated at a table for four, and the other seats were occupied. As he sat down, all I could smell was weed. I was so disappointed to see this young Black man who appeared to be an upstanding individual contaminating the whole area with the smell of marijuana smoke. It doesn’t matter whether it’s legal -- it is unprofessional to reek of weed when you board a business train to sit among other people.

As a Black professional woman, I wanted to pull his coattails, but I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of the white people who were sitting across from him. He pulled out a laptop and actively worked on it during the trip. He had good manners. His only issue was the smell that infiltrated our area for the whole ride. I thought I might say something if he deboarded when I did, but the moment didn’t happen. Do you think it would have been OK to say something if I had found the moment? -- Cloud of Smoke

DEAR CLOUD OF SMOKE: Yes! This is especially true, given the fact that this young man seemed to be on a professional track otherwise. He may not know how much the smell had stuck to his clothes when he smoked. There’s a good chance he had no idea that he had contaminated the area with this scent. Pulling his coattails to let him know that it’s not wise to smoke weed right before entering an enclosed space could be helpful information for him. The key would be to say it without judgment, just as a fact.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: I got passed over for a promotion at my job, and I am wrecked. I have been working so hard to complete my work and to take on more projects. I always have a good attitude and work well with people, though I will admit that I am an introvert. I do not hang out with my co-workers at the end of the day. I do not drink. I stick to myself and go home when the work is done. I feel like I may have been penalized for not being social with the team. I want to talk to my boss about it and see what I can do to prepare for a promotion. I don’t want to complain, but I do want to set myself up for success. How should I bring this up? -- Overlooked

DEAR OVERLOOKED: Schedule a meeting with your boss, and have a list of things that you have accomplished that have benefited your company so that you can share them. Start by saying how much you enjoy working at this company, what you have learned and that you believe you have been doing a good job. Point out a few of the highlights of your accomplishments this year as examples of your hard work. Then tell your boss you were disappointed when you did not receive a promotion. Ask what you can do to position yourself better for a promotion in the future. Listen to what your boss has to say. You can also ask if being an introvert is working to your disadvantage. Explain that you like your co-workers, but you mostly prefer to keep to yourself. Is that working against you?

Whatever your boss says, know that it is important to build relationships with people at your job. Work is more than doing the tasks at hand. You need to build alliances with others. You need people to have your back and to stand up for you. Make that your next priority.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been cleaning out my closet and have collected an entire wardrobe of barely worn clothes to give away. There is a woman at my job who is about the size of this collection of clothes (smaller than I am today), and I know she could use them. She has a very limited wardrobe. How do I go about offering them to her without making her uncomfortable? -- Making an Offering

DEAR MAKING AN OFFERING: Speak to this woman in private and tell her what you have been doing. You had been holding onto clothes that you thought were special, but you realize now it makes no sense to keep things that don’t fit. Rather than giving them to charity, you want to give them to someone you know who might appreciate them. Tell her you thought of her. You believe they are her size and potentially her style. Ask her if she would like to see them. If so, arrange for a time to share them with her outside of the office. Be sure to tell her that they are a gift. If she cannot use them, she can feel free to give them away, or you can donate them. Also, be clear that the gift is between you. She can share that you gave them to her if she likes, but it is for her to share -- not you.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)