It's taken me just under 2 years to lose 45 pounds. When it comes to slow, I'm your girl.

I lost the first 30 fairly easily, mostly by swimming laps like a maniac. Then I moved and joined a gym, and the weight just stopped coming off. Probably because I wasn't working hard enough on the elliptical. I gave up for a little while but only gained back 5 vacation pounds.
Then I got serious again just before the beginning of this year and started working out with my sister, who is an exercise physiologist and shares my genetic predisposition for stubborn fat. Since then I've lost 15 more, and I'm stalled again so I'm ramping up the cardio a lot and hoping to break through this plateau as well. It sucks, I won't lie. But I try to remind myself that the fact that it's taking so long means I won't gain it back quickly. And I've definitely made long-lasting changes in my eating and fitness levels, so here's hoping I only have to do this once.