You cannot spot reduce. You can do side bends til you can't see straight, but that's not going to make just that section of fat go away. You have to lose fat from your entire body. And sadly, the most people's bodies work, your 'trouble spots' will always be one of the last bits of fat to come off.

Good for you for cutting out the sweets. But you may need to look a little more closely at your diet. In order to lose fat, you need to create a caloric deficit. Whether that be through diet and/or the addition of cardio to your program, that's up to you.

Even if you're eating 'clean', you could still be overeating.