You’ll hear lots of sales pitches about reducing your waist. But you can’t target fat. Crunches/etc. will tighten your abs, but they won’t do anything about the fat. All you can do is diet/exercise to lose fat, and, like Brian said, the stuff around your waist is usually the last to come off (especially if you’re of the body type that gains belly fat first and loses it last).
For your exercise, I highly recommend an elliptical. Better yet, interval training on an elliptical. A recent study showed that interval training is best for weight loss. And the elliptical has two big advantages over running: 1. It’s very easy on your joints. 2. It builds muscle much more than running. And muscle mass burns a lot of calories, even at rest, contributing further to your weight loss.
Exercise is key. I’ve known dozens of people who have lost more than 30 or 40 pounds. But I’ve known very few who have kept that much off, and they all exercise vigorously.
