Day 19 of America Takes It Off: Shrink a Size. Cruising right along. We hope you are too, with the challenges we've given you over the past two weeks. Let's review.

First we tasked you with a few sure-to-work diet tricks -- portioning your plate, eating healthy fats and moving that body of yours. Then we gave you some easy tips for flattening your abs, like eating raspberries, drinking water, avoiding alcohol, sitting up straight, planting a garden, hula-hooping, golfing and crunching. Two weeks and 146 pounds later, we're going to arm you with the motivation to stay strong. It comes straight from a woman who knows what it's like to shrink a size. Well, more than a size -- the girl dropped from a 6X to a size 6.

Maggie first introduced us to Kim Bensen, author of Finally Thin, about a week ago. We think she deserves some more attention. And we really think you need to practice some of her simple steps. Here are five. Your challenge: Make them happen.

• Find a diet program that fits. Cutting back is fine and all, but most people do best with structure.
• Get rid of your red-light foods. The ones that should make you STOP in your tracks but usually don't.
• Fill up on green-light foods. Like fruits and vegetables.
• Beware of "safe" foods. Everything you eat has calories. Too much salad is still too much salad.
  
• Google it. Before heading out to eat, search online for the nutritional information on restaurant menus. Know ahead of time what healthy option you will eat.

Time to get to work. And don't forget to come back on Wednesday to weigh in.