You’ve waved goodbye to cookies, chips, and everything else that comes in a shiny wrapper, but the scale refuses to budge. It can be disheartening when cutting out processed foods doesn’t translate into immediate weight loss.

While eliminating junk food is an essential first step, weight loss often requires more nuanced adjustments. Studies, including a 2019 publication in Cell Metabolism, reveal that processed foods can lead to increased calorie consumption — about 500 extra calories daily compared to whole, unprocessed diets. While cutting out junk food is a commendable step, achieving sustainable weight loss requires a holistic approach.

But sometimes, ditching junk food isn’t enough. Here are five key reasons why your weight loss journey may be stalling, and how you can get back on track.

1. Your Sleep Schedule Is Sabotaging Your Goals

The connection between sleep and weight is often overlooked but crucial. Both too much sleep (over 9 hours) and too little (under 5 hours) can disrupt your body’s production of appetite-regulating hormones, such as leptin and ghrelin. This hormonal imbalance can increase cravings and overeating, particularly for high-calorie foods.

Additionally, poor sleep can leave you feeling fatigued, making it harder to stick to exercise routines.

How to Fix It: Aim for 7–8 hours of quality sleep per night. Establish a consistent bedtime routine and minimize screen time before bed to improve sleep hygiene.

2. Liquid Calories Are Sneaking Into Your Diet

You may have switched to a "healthier" drink lineup, but beverages like fruit juices, sugary coffee drinks, and wine can contain hidden calories that derail progress. Even organic fruit juices, often marketed as healthful, are loaded with sugar and lack the fiber found in whole fruits.

How to Fix It: Stick to water, unsweetened tea, black coffee, or sparkling water. To manage hunger, drink two cups of water 30 minutes before meals—a strategy backed by research in the Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine. Treat calorie-laden drinks as occasional indulgences rather than daily staples.

3. Meal Timing Is Working Against You

When and how often you eat can significantly influence weight loss. Skipping meals can lead to overeating later, while constant grazing throughout the day can result in unnoticed calorie overload.

Studies show that front-loading your calories, with a substantial breakfast and lighter evening meals, promotes greater weight loss. Research published in the journal Obesity found that individuals consuming larger breakfasts lost twice the weight compared to those who favored bigger dinners.

How to Fix It: Stick to eating every 3.5 to 4 hours during a 10–12-hour daytime window. This approach stabilizes blood sugar and encourages fat reserves to be used for energy between meals.

4. You’re Overcompensating for Exercise

Exercise is a cornerstone of weight loss, but it’s easy to overestimate the calories burned and indulge in post-workout treats. That post-spin class protein shake or granola bar may negate your calorie deficit if not balanced within your daily intake.

How to Fix It: Plan snacks strategically. If your workout falls within two hours of a meal, skip the extra snack and refuel during your regular meal. If you need a snack, opt for small, protein-rich options like Greek yogurt or a handful of nuts.

5. Water Intake Is Falling Short

Water plays an underrated role in weight loss. Staying hydrated helps control hunger and reduces the temptation to reach for sugary drinks. Dehydration, on the other hand, can be mistaken for hunger, leading to unnecessary snacking.

How to Fix It: Drink 2–6 cups of water daily to satisfy thirst without adding calories. Carry a reusable water bottle as a visual reminder to stay hydrated throughout the day.

What Other Factors Can Hinder Weight Loss

Sitting for long hours, whether at a desk or on the couch, can slow your metabolism and disconnect your body’s natural hunger cues. Incorporating even short bursts of activity, like three 10-minute walks daily, can reignite your metabolism.

Stress often leads to comfort eating, favoring calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods. Mindfulness practices, such as meditation or journaling, can help address the emotional triggers behind overeating.

Medical conditions, genetics, or hormonal imbalances can also impede weight loss. If your efforts yield no results, consult a healthcare professional for tests or guidance tailored to your needs.

Weight loss isn’t linear, and small, consistent adjustments are more effective than drastic overhauls. By identifying and tackling these hidden barriers, you can set yourself up for lasting success on your health journey.

Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain. Cell Metabolism. 2019

Effect of excessive water intake on body weight, body mass index, body fat, and appetite of overweight female participants. J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2014

US President Donald Trump's attempt to clarify the meaning of "sea" while discussing drug smuggling has again raised concerns of dementia.

While the 79-year-old President rambled between “sea and see” in the middle of discussing drug problems in the US, social media went rife with the rumor of his cognitive decline.

"Drugs coming by sea meaning coming by water. A lot of people don’t know what I mean by sea. They think I mean vision. I’m talking about sea like the sea," he said. He was speaking at the White House, while hosting law enforcement officials for a dinner in the Rose Garden in celebration of National Police Week.

His comments were called out by social media as his apparently worsening cognitive capabilities.

"When he says 'a lot of people' he means 'me.' His cognitive issues are a crisis," one social media user declared, while another admitted, "He’s getting worse."

Trump has spoken on sea and see, during a maternal healthcare event last week, where he also referred to himself as the “father of fertility.”

Earlier, speaking at the White House Small Business Summit, Trump said he has taken the Montreal Cognitive Assessment three times and “aced each one,” claiming a doctor told him it was the first time they had seen a perfect score, The Daily Beast reported.

The US President said he answered the test questions easily, suggesting he is cognitively in good condition—a claim that critics have repeatedly questioned.

“The first question is very easy,” he said. “You have a lion, a bear, an alligator, and a—what’s another good…? A squirrel. Which is the squirrel?” He added that the difficulty increases as the test progresses. “By the time you get to the middle, they’re very tough.”

However, the test’s creator, Canadian neurologist Ziad Nasreddine, has challenged Trump’s claims. “It wasn’t designed to be a test of IQ,” he told nine.com.au. “It was designed to assess normal cognitive performance.”

Experts Claim Trump's Mental Health Is Deteriorating

Read More: Fact Check: Can Ivermectin Help Treat Hantavirus?

A group of medical experts, including neurologists, psychiatrists, and other physicians, has sounded the alarm over what they’ve described as Trump’s deteriorating mental health.

The experts have not specifically examined Trump face-to-face. But, they analyzed Trump's statements and behaviors over the past year, and stated that he’s “mentally unfit” and must be removed from office “with the greatest urgency” amid the escalating tension around the world, according to their statement published in The BMJ.

“It is our professional opinion that they (Trump's statements) reflect a rapidly worsening, reality-untethered, increasingly dangerous decline,” the experts said.

They also listed some of Trump’s observable serious medical issues, such as “Marked deterioration in cognitive functioning, evidenced by disorganized and tangential speech, rambling digressions, factual confusions, unexplained sudden changes of course in strategic matters, both national and international, episodes of apparent somnolence during critical public proceedings.”

Read More:PCOD vs PCOS vs PMOS: Why The Condition’s Name Has Changed Over Time

What The White House Says

The White House has continued to say that Trump remains in strong health.

In October 2025, White House physician Captain Sean Barbabella said the president “continues to demonstrate excellent overall health,” AOl.com reported.

"President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats and other lunatics intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle was quoted as saying to The Daily Beast.

From Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and now Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) — confused about what the changing terminology means for women’s health and treatment?

What was once seen mainly as a reproductive or ovarian disorder is now being recognized as a complex hormonal and metabolic condition that can affect everything from periods and fertility to weight, insulin resistance, heart health, skin, and mental well-being.

To better understand the distinction between the three, let’s look at how the condition has evolved.

The condition, involving irregular periods, infertility, excess facial hair, and enlarged ovaries containing multiple cysts, was first identified as an ovarian or reproductive disorder in the 1930s by American gynecologists Dr. Irving Stein and Dr. Michael Leventhal. It became known as Stein-Leventhal Syndrome.

Over the years, the term PCOD became widely used, especially in countries like India. The name focused mainly on the presence of multiple ovarian cysts seen on ultrasound scans. It was considered a “disease” affecting ovulation and fertility.

Further, in the 1980s and 1990s, experts discovered that the condition involved hormonal imbalances, insulin resistance, weight gain, diabetes risk, and heart health concerns, among others.

Because it affected multiple body systems, PCOS became the medically preferred global term. The word “syndrome” was used to describe a group of related symptoms rather than a single disease.

However, many experts argued that the name still overemphasized ovarian cysts and fertility, and in 2012, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) officially recommended changing the name, saying it was misleading because:

• Not all women with the condition have cysts
• Ovarian cysts alone are not enough for diagnosis
• The name ignores the metabolic and hormonal aspects

In 2026, global experts publishing in The Lancet proposed the new name -- PMOS – for the condition affecting more than 170 million women worldwide.

The new term PMOS acknowledges that the condition involves:

• Endocrine health
• Metabolic health
• Reproductive health
• Dermatological health
• Psychological health.

What Does PMOS Mean?

Also read: PCOS Is Now PMOS: What The Name Change Means For Millions Of Women

The new name aims to explain the condition more accurately and comprehensively.

Polyendocrine means it affects multiple hormones in the body.

Metabolic refers to issues linked to weight, insulin, blood sugar, and heart health.

Ovarian highlights its impact on ovulation and reproductive health.

Syndrome refers to a group of symptoms occurring together.

In simple terms, PMOS is a hormonal and metabolic condition that can affect periods, fertility, skin, mood, weight, and long-term health.

What The Name Change Means For Women

Speaking to HealthandMe, Dr Monika Bhatia Director — Obstetrics & Gynaecology Robotic and Laparoscopic Surgeon Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, said that the earlier name was misleading because the "cysts" in PCOS are not real cysts — they are simply small, arrested follicles.

While the name has changed, the message remains the same.

“Behind every diagnosis is a woman trying to understand her body, hormones, emotions, and health. While this condition may affect periods, fertility, metabolism, skin, weight, or mental well-being differently, one thing remains common — it is manageable with the right guidance,” she said.

The core treatment stays the same as the guidelines for treatment have not changed, but the approach becomes wider.

“So instead of just treating the periods, PMOS is now managed as a whole-body condition involving a multidisciplinary team”.

Will there be any change to evaluation?

Dr Muskaan Chhabra, Fertility Specialist, Birla Fertility & IVF, Lajpat Nagar, told HealthandMe that the new name –PMOS- correctly acknowledges that this is a multisystem condition involving complex interactions between insulin, androgens, and neuroendocrine hormones.

In PMOS, the ovaries are one of several systems involved rather than the primary site of the problem.

This “opens the door to more comprehensive clinical evaluation, earlier and more accurate diagnosis, and treatment approaches that address the full hormonal and metabolic picture rather than a narrow reproductive one,” Dr Muskaan said. It will also “drive more integrated and personalized care”.

Hantavirus has the potential to linger indoors and spread through contaminated dust, especially in rodent-infested, poorly ventilated spaces, according to infectious disease expert Dr. Vasant C. Nagvekar.

So far, 11 people linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship have been affected. While all passengers have been repatriated and quarantined, the World Health Organization (WHO) anticipates that additional cases may emerge based on observed symptoms.

Also Read: Hantavirus Cases Climb To 11; WHO Warns Countries Of Further Spread

In an exclusive interview with HealthandMe, Dr. Vasant, a Consultant in Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine at Lilavati Hospital and Research Center, Mumbai, explained how the virus can spread even within indoor environments. He noted that contaminated dust and surfaces are potential sources of transmission, making proper hygiene and preventive measures crucial.

The expert also stated that the Andes strain rarely transmits person-to-person and emphasized the need for global prevention through enhanced surveillance, early detection, vector control, environmental sanitation, and public awareness, particularly amid urbanization, climate change, and ecosystem disruption.

Here are the excerpts from the interview

Q. How Long Does Hantavirus Survive?

Dr. Vasant: Hantavirus does not survive for long outside a host body and is rapidly inactivated by exposure to sunlight, detergents, and drying.

However, in enclosed indoor environments that are cool with temperatures at 4 degrees Celsius or less, poorly ventilated, and contaminated with rodent urine or feces, the virus may remain infectious for several hours or even longer.

Q. Is Hantavirus Airborne?

Dr. Vasant: Yes, the virus can be transmitted indirectly through the air. However, hantavirus does not circulate freely in the air in the same way as influenza or coronavirus during normal social interactions.

It becomes airborne when contaminated rodent urine, droppings, or nesting materials are disturbed during activities such as sweeping or cleaning. At that point, the virus can be aerosolized and inhaled by people.

Q. How Can Hantavirus Spread Indoors?

Dr. Vasant: Indoor exposure usually takes place in environments where the presence of goes unnoticed – for example, in cabins, storage rooms, warehouses, inside false ceilings, or vacant rooms.

One could be exposed to hantavirus through inhalation of contaminated dust when a room that has not been used for a while is opened or is cleaned without any protective measures.

Also read: Fact Check: Can Ivermectin Help Treat Hantavirus?

The reason why hantavirus exposure is alarming is that it usually takes place during normal activities, which we do without even suspecting anything dangerous.

Q. How Does the Andes Strain of Hantavirus Spread?

Dr. Vasant: The Andes hantavirus stands out because, unlike most other hantaviruses, it exhibits evidence of rare person-to-person transmission, mostly through direct and extended contact between people. As a result, this particular strain is highly interesting for scientists studying infectious diseases around the world and is extensively researched as such. It should be noted, however, that person-to-person transmission is very rare in comparison to respiratory pathogens, such as the influenza virus or SARS-CoV-2.

Read More: Why The Norovirus Outbreak On A Caribbean Cruise Ship Is Not A Cause for Panic

Q. What global strategies are needed to prevent the emergence of new viruses?

Dr. Vasant: What is required from our world in terms of the prevention of new viruses is a globally integrated strategy within the public health sector.

Surveillance systems should become more advanced on community levels, especially when there are high risks of increased contact between humans and animals because of urbanization, climate change, and ecosystem destruction.

Early detection, information exchange at the international level, vector control, environmental sanitation, and public awareness are just as significant. New infection strains cannot remain limited to just being a problem of individual countries.