DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend and I plan to move in together soon since he currently lives with his uncle and I live with my single mother and her current boyfriend.

My mom got divorced from my father eight years ago and she never dated (that I saw) for at least five years after that. Now she has kind of a "deadbeat" boyfriend who has moved into our home, and all he seems to do is eat my mother's food and watch her cable television all day.

Anyhow, my mom is now mad at me for wanting to move out and in with a boyfriend without getting married first!

My boyfriend has a good job with his uncle's company, and I also work full time in a busy office as a receptionist. We make enough money to get a place of our own, and we can certainly afford our upcoming living expenses.

Why should I be made to feel bad by my mother when she's literally doing the very same thing? Am I missing something here? By the way, I am 19, and my boyfriend of two years is 20. — Don't Like Mom's Double Standard, via email

DON'T LIKE MOM'S DOUBLE STANDARD: In my opinion, your mother has a very weak moral basis to put pressure on you. Her situation sounds more like a relationship of convenience because, if she wanted to remarry, she likely could.

In my experience, parents who ask their teens to "do as I say, not as I do" are very quickly tuned out due to their blatant hypocrisy. However, in your case, I would not recommend that you move in together prior to marriage. You each can easily find a roommate or a couple of separate places to rent if you both wish to move out of your current residences.

Then, when and if you both decide to get married, I trust you'll both be glad that you waited until you were both ready to make a marriage commitment.

I WANT A PHOTO TO COUNT MY CALORIES

DR. WALLACE: I want to lose weight this summer. Can I program my phone to beep whenever I eat too many calories on a particular day? I'd like to just take a picture of whatever I eat on any individual day and then have my phone show me how many calories are about to be consumed, even if I'm in a restaurant.

Isn't losing weight all about cutting down on calorie intake? — Need to Lose 20, via email

NEED TO LOSE 20: I'm not aware of any current way to take photographs of food and have those images converted into a specific amount of calories. For now, you'd have to do some research on your own to count your calories, and I'd also advise you to couple counting calories with a moderate exercise plan to start with.

There has been a recent rise in artificial intelligence, so your vision of having simple photographs calculate calories might be available at some point in the future!

But don't wait until then. For now, study up on what foods have the most and least calories and design a healthy diet for your busy life. Also, check in with your medical professional to see about starting a moderate workout plan, and if you are able to couple those two factors together, you'll soon be on your way to losing a bit of weight. With some effort and a "stick to it" attitude, you might be able to achieve your overall goal, depending on your current weight and health situation.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Markus Spiske at Unsplash