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10 Weight Loss Tips From Pro Cyclists

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Pro cyclists might get their bike clothes for free and have VO2-max ceilings the rest of us can only dream about, but many of them are like us in one surprising way: If they don't watch what they eat, they gain weight fast. We asked 10 racers how they stripped the fat--from 10 to 80 pounds--from their bodies and transformed themselves into lean machines. Their tips are refreshingly simple and undeniably effective.

I LOST 55 POUNDS
The Racer: Dan Schmatz
The Body: 5-foot-10, 160 lb.
The Team: BMC
The Secret: "Exercise early, abstain late."

Schmatz's hard-core routine isn't for the faint of heart: He doesn't eat after 7 p.m., and he often does a 30- to 60-minute run, ride or hike before breakfast. Some studies show that low-intensity exercise before breakfast helps the body burn more fat than usual. Schmatz cautions that if you try this, don't cancel the benefit by pigging out: "A lot of people don't realize that a breakfast of a gourmet coffee drink and a bagel can pack 1,000 calories," he says.

I LOST 10 POUNDS
The Racer: Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski
The Body: 6-foot-1, 150 lb.
The Team: Subaru-Gary Fisher
The Secret: "Eat dinner like a pauper."

The winner of four consecutive national mountain bike championships, Horgan-Kobelski says, "The single biggest thing that has helped me lose weight has been eating a light dinner. Even after a huge day of training, if I fueled properly throughout and after the ride, I can usually get away with eating just some salad or steamed or grilled vegetables with a small amount of lean protein."

I LOST 10 POUNDS
The Racer: Betina Hold
The Body: 5-foot-6, 125 lb.
The Team: Cheerwine
The Secret: "Chew more."

When she was desperate to lose weight to transform herself from muscled-up competitive rower to lean cyclist, Hold stumbled onto one of the simplest ways to lose weight. Studies have shown that simply chewing your food longer--as many as 100 times per bite, in some research--results in reduced caloric intake. Hold also began chewing gum at the first craving for food. She says it gives her time to decide, "Am I really hungry or am I bored, nervous or stressed? I find in many cases, I just chew some gum and I don't really need food."

I LOST 80 POUNDS
The Racer: Jack Seehafer
The Body: 5-foot-6, 145 lb.
The Team: Einstein's cycling
The Secret: "The simplest way: Ride more, eat less--and drink less beer."

Seehafer packed on 100 pounds during seven years of inactivity when he stopped cycling after high school. After he started riding again, the weight came off, which motivated him to cut calories from his diet. This can be as simple as using smaller plates at home, always leaving several bites on your plate, or waiting 15 minutes before deciding whether to go back for seconds. When Seehafer met lean pro Kori Kelly, whom he eventually married, he adopted her eating habits and chiseled away more weight. Today, he keeps the pounds off with vigilance: "As soon as I notice that I've gained a couple pounds, I immediately adjust what I'm eating and increase my exercise," he says.


I LOST 40 POUNDS
The Racer: Devora Peterson
The Body: 5-foot-1, 118 lb.
The Team: Tokyo Joe's/Golite
The Secret: "Seek professional help."

Peterson says that paying a dietitian to analyze her intake and recommend changes was worth the money because there's less for her to think about. After you submit a detailed, multiday food record to your dietitian, you will receive a meal plan customized to your needs, specifying how many servings of foods you should eat from each food group. Some plans chart out each meal, and explain basic information such as what size a serving is. Says Peterson, "It keeps me honest."

I LOST 16 POUNDS
The Racer: Brooke O'Connor
The Body: 5-foot-8, 142 lb.
The Team: Hub Racing
The Secret: "Drink water."

O'Connor lost weight when, she says, "I started drinking water, not caloric beverages." Now pregnant (and starting to show), she's less focused on being lean.
 
I LOST 60 POUNDS
The Racer: Mike Jones
The Body: 6-foot-2, 175 lb.
The Team: jelly belly
The Secret: "Ride base miles to blast fat."

Jones says that when he was at his heaviest, he used his bike mainly as "transportation to and from pizza shops, burger joints and bars." One winter in Upstate New York, he began logging lots of slow, steady miles on his bike (out of boredom) and noticed the pounds burning off. "The more base miles you can put in, the better," he says. "Not only does it prepare your aerobic engine for higher-intensity work, but also the sheer volume of exercise means you burn tons of calories." Once he had some momentum, Jones increased the rate of weight loss by downsizing his portions and cutting "empty" liquid calories such as beer and soda.

I LOST 20 POUNDS
The Racer: Tom Danielson
The Body: 5-foot-10, 130 lb.
The Team: Discovery
The Secret: "Burn more than you eat."

Danielson was never overweight, but to compete at the highest level of the sport, he needed to dramatically increase his power-to-weight ratio, a feat he could achieve only by losing pounds. Danielson monitors how many calories he burns while riding (with an SRM power meter), then adjusts his caloric intake to make sure he eats 200 to 300 fewer calories per day than he burns. "The weight loss is slow and gradual, no more than two pounds per week," he says. One important point: "Don't diet on the bike." Restricting calories during a ride can make you feel weak--and destroy motivation.
 
I LOST 22 POUNDS
The Racer: Tomarra C. Muhlfeld
The Body: 5-foot-3, 116 lb.
The Team: Trek/VW
The Secret: "Eat at home."

Studies have shown that people who eat out the most also weigh more than normal--a stat Muhlfeld proved to herself. When she stopped eating out most nights, she began losing weight. "When you eat at home you're in control," she says. "You know exactly what you're eating, the portions and how it's prepared. When you eat out, there are so many hidden calories, even when you try to order healthy choices."

I LOST 12 POUNDS
The Racer: Christine Vardaros
The Body: 5-foot-8, 122 lb.
The Team: pruneaux d'Agen
The Secret: "All veggie, all the time."

When Vardaros decided to do something good for the environment, she didn't expect her philanthropy to pay off so personally. "I switched from being a vegetarian to being a vegan, and the weight just dropped off," she says. You don't have to follow a strict regimen to see some improvement, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University who say that going meatless just one day per week can result in weight loss--a plan they call Meatless Monday (meatlessmonday.com). One other surprisingly simple and effective tip from Vardaros: Keep bread in the freezer so you have to think about, and sometimes pass on, preparing that PB&J sandwich.



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