I am an apple shaped girl with a lot of... um ... girth around the midsection. I have added crunches in with my cardio. Does anyone know whether or not they will help? Does people still do crunches?

Crunches will certainly strengthen your abdominal muscles, but you cannot target an area to lose fat. The fat will come off everywhere. We typically have more in the middle, so the middle is usually the last to show a significant loss. Do a variety of exercises and shoot for the end result down the road.

I am an apple shaped girl with a lot of... um ... girth around the midsection. I have added crunches in with my cardio. Does anyone know whether or not they will help? Does people still do crunches?

I do all kinds of abdominal work and core work. It's true that you cannot "spot reduce" by targeting a specific area. Is this what you mean?

Still having strong abs helps to define and shape that area, as well as support your back.

The fat loss rule seems to be "first on; last off". But I watched my body redistribute fat as I lost weight. It was inserting to take measurements.

Crunches are fine but they are only 1 of many core exercises you can do. My advice is you go see a good personal trainer or better yet a physical therapist or athletic trainer who can show you a series of exercises. You likely would only need a couple of sessions and then you'll be doing what's best for you.