i am a 20 year old female and i am extremely overweight, however i have recently made efforts toward changing my life. i have lost several pounds by joining the weight watchers program so im sticking with that and i also joined a gym. for the past few weeks i've been hitting the gym at least 5-6 times a week. i start out with about 15 mins of cardio such as walking, then i'll do 45 mins to an hour of weight training(using the different weight machines in the gym) and then i'll do 45 more mins of cardio, like the elliptical. most of my weight is in my stomach and some on my back. what can i do to target these areas? and am i doing the correct type of exercise to reach my goal?

thank you in advance for the advice, i really appreciate it.

You can't target fat loss, but if you're consistent you'll burn the fat everywhere including the "trouble spots." Unfortunately our genes decide where fat gets stored, how much and for how long, but as long as you stay dedicated, you body has no choice but to keep burning it all off.
You are 100% on the right track. Just keep a record every one to two weeks of inches and pounds lost. If you start to see a significant slow-down of progress you may need to change something up, but for the time being keep going with what is working.

Good for you for doing so well! I agree that you can't target these specific areas for losing fat, but with time, it should come off. Some people just have "tricky" areas that they lose weight in LAST. I usually lose weight pretty quickly in my stomach, but only SOME... and the rest seems to come off very last! Keep up the good work with the cardio and eventually these areas will become better. It usually takes me at least a couple months of good exercise and diet to see a good difference in my trouble spots.

STAY CONSISTENT! I think the biggest problem that people tend to have with weight loss is that if they "screw" up on day, than they just quit altogether. It is okay to have a screw up day as long as you get right back on it the next. Try not to screw up, but if it does happen, just tell yourself that it was a mistake at that the next day will be better. If I were you, I would work on trying to run/elliptical/bike for a decent ammount of time. The key is to watch your heart rate. Most gyms have charts that tell you where your heart rate should be to be in the "fat burning" zone. Never go above your maximum heart rate though. Your's will be 200 (220- your age). Going above that can be dangerous. Just challenge yourself everyday. When I started 2 months ago at 267 pounds, I could only run 1.5 miles a day. Now I am up to 5.5 and plan on going farther. It is always fun to prove yourself wrong and to keep beating your previous distances. Good luck to you! Consistency is the key!

Don't loose focus! When the going gets though, remember why you want to loose the weight.
I lost 35 lbs since last August. Just eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Eat a balance diet, watch your portions. You don't need to go hungry, just choose the right foods. We all know how to eat, just don't let yourself go hungry.
When exercising, it's important to eat well.
Keep up your exercise and be patient. The weight won't just come off in a month. The way I look at it: slow and steady wins the race. Even if I loose 1 pound a month, that's 12 pounds less at the end of the year.

Consistency is definitely the key and you are doing all of the right stuff. Cardio to warm up, weights to tone (light weight, lots of reps), cardio at the end for a longer period to burn fat.

Something to be aware of though, in the 'just so you know' category.

When you start lifting weight you'll find it really easy to make some initial progress as you develop muscles that haven't been used a lot. Sometimes what will happen though is that as you develop the muscles they 'appear' to push the fat or flab out a bit.

This can be pretty disheartening if you aren't aware of why it's happening. It just means that you are developing the underlying muscle at a faster rate than you are burning off the fat.

Like people have said, you can't target fat loss (not really effectively anyway), but you can target muscle development, and it's pretty obvious what is going to happen if you put a bigger muscle behind the same amount of fat.

Just be aware that it is happening though and don't let it get you down. It doesn't lasts long and as it burns off you have nice muscles underneath!