I set out to lose belly fat but gained Ikg of muscle

No exercise can get rid of my menopause belly, say doctors. They suggest building up my muscles instead.

- Sumiko Tan

It is not at all a nice feeling to realise your waist is getting bigger.

But menopause does things to your body, and after the last of my symptoms finally subsided about three years ago, I was left with a wad of belly fat.

I gained about 3kg through my late 50s. I didn't really mind how some of the new weight plumped up my cheeks as that counterbalanced the facial hollowing that ageing brings. But the rest of it seemed to have gravitated to my belly.

I'd always had a reasonably flat tummy and could squeeze into size 24 jeans well into my early 50s. Then I couldn't.

The first warning sign was when my abdominal skin changed. Once smooth and taut, it started to look disturbingly wobbly.

Then, centimetre by centimetre, my waistline started to expand. Even sucking in my tummy couldn't get rid of the little mound that had formed.

Sit-ups and an abdominal cream which promised to "sculpt and help redefine areas prone to sagging, especially for women over 50" didn't help either.

I sought professional advice.

Unfortunately, there is no magic exercise or treatment for belly fat.

"Targeting fat loss in specific areas like the belly is largely a myth," said Dr Shannon Chia, team lead at Sport Singapore's Active Health division.

"While certain exercises can strengthen muscles in specific areas, they do not directly lead to fat loss there," said Dr Chia, who has a PhD in sports and exercise science.

"Doing countless seated abdominals will strengthen abdominal muscles but won't necessarily reduce belly fat."

Dr Sarah Tan, a consultant at the department of endocrinology at the Singapore General Hospital, explained that fat in the body is stored in two primary areas.

One is the subcutaneous region, that is, directly under the skin.