Well well well...
I would eat a lot of fiber (whole grains, beans, cereals) for breakfast, eat salad for lunch and then eat pasta/meat for dinner. Get on a 'disciplined' excersize plan that you do areobics, anarobics (sprinting), and weight training, include sit ups, and you will see RAPID weight loss. I'd say exsersize AT LEAST 30 minutes, 3 times per week. Trust me, it worked for me...and I'm 6Ƈ 190 lbs and I look and feel great...You must include discipline, and also don't forget to set yourself a goal. GOOD LUCK!

crunches, ab machine, personal trainer, that belt thing that works out your abs for you (a bit scary but 2 of my friends have one and they say it works wonders).

There is no way to target fat loss. Fat is stored all over the body. If you do ab work, all you are doing is strengthening your ab muscles. If your abs are out of shape, granted you can make them tighter and maybe pull in your stomach a bit, but it does nothing for getting rid of the fat riding on top of the muscle tissue.
The basics are that you have to burn more calories than you take in. By doing that, you increase your metabolism to burn off your "current fat" and aren't having leftover calories being converted to "new fat". Throw in an exercise program to gain some muscle (more muscle, higher metabolic needs) and cardio to burn off the current fat, and you are on your way.
For the diet, you have to look at your BMR, find out what calorie level you need every day to break even and maintain your current body rate, and lower your daily intake to about 20% of that. Count those calories, and look at where they come from. Get good carbs (oatmeal, veggies, whole wheat) and eliminate as much sugar/ simple carbs from your diet as possible. Go with good lean protein sources. For a food schedule that's best for increasing your metabolism, try to eat 5-6 meals a day, and taper it throughout the day (biggest meal in the morning, smallest at night). Try to get a good balance with your overall daily intake(30% protein, 50% carbs, 20% fat).
Once you start, stick with it. Where you see the fat the most is the last place you will see the results. Say you have .5 inches of fat on your arms, and 3 inches on your waist. If you get to the point where you've burned off .5 worth all over your body (remember, no spot reduction, it's taken from everywhere)... you'd be able to tell the difference in your arms, but if you just look at your waist, there is still 2.5 inches there. The areas you have less to lose in will show results quicker.
Good luck!