Why Do They Call Them "Love Handles"?

Ugh. I've been running for almost two years and I haven't lost much weight or gotten ride of my "budda belly" and "Love Handles".(I do not love them.) I would like to blame it on a slow thyroid but I think the real cause is menopause.

So what to do? I guess I have to add some core strenghtening exercises to my day. Oh the joys of getting older. I've checked out some ab toning exercises and might try some of these:

Oblique Crunches
Lie on your back and cross the left foot over the right knee, hands behind your head.
Keeping lower back pressed into the floor, lift your shoulder blades off the floor and then curl your upper body diagonally across your body towards your left knee.
Contract your abs and obliques as hard as you can at the top of the movement.
Resist on the way back down.
Repeat for 12-16 reps before switching sides.

Trunk Twist
Stand with your feet at shoulder width and your knees slightly bent.
Place your hands in front of you with palms facing away from you (as if you're about to push something away).
Twist your torso to the left, until your face (and hands) are facing in the opposite direction. (Don't force yourself to go too far - you don't want to injure yourself.).
Now twist all the way around to the right.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you've completed the desired number of reps.

Crossover Standing Abs
Stand with your feet hip width apart.
Bend each elbow at a 90-degree angle beside your head, as if you’re pretending to be a football goal.
Contract your abs.
Now slowly pull your left knee up toward your right elbow as far as you comfortably can.
Pause, then slowly lower your left leg to the floor.
Now repeat on the opposite side, bringing your right knee toward your left elbow.
Continue alternating sides. (Each alternating side equals one rep.)

Plank Exercise
Get into a push up position.
Instead of your hands being on the floor, you will be lying on your elbows.
The key is to keep your head, neck, spine, butt, hips, and legs in a straight line.
Make sure to keep your body off the ground.
The only points of contact should be your toes, elbows, forearms and hands.
Try to work up to 1 minute in this position before trying more difficult versions of this exercise.

I also have an exercise ball that is gathering dust. I think I will try some crunches on my ball--it's supposed to be easier on the back. I know that diet plays a big part in this so I am working to cut back on my sugar intake too. Any more suggestions for me?