Kristi Yamaguchi's New Pilates Body

Kristi Yamaguchi's Super-Slimming Workout

Reigning queen of Dancing with the Stars, world champ and Olympic gold medalist in figure skating -- you might think losing just isn't in Kristi Yamaguchi's DNA. But in the age-old epic battle between time and fitting in exercise, the skater, who stopped touring professionally in 2002 to start a family, was getting her butt kicked. "At first I was making it to the gym three times a week, but gradually that stopped, and I didn't have a consistent workout schedule," says Yamaguchi, mother of two girls with her husband Bret Hedican, a professional hockey player. "I would aim for a half hour on the elliptical, plus some stretching, light weights, and ab work, but I was a preschool mom. Running after my daughters was usually my workout for the day."

She's also like other moms -- and non-moms -- in the way that she has belly issues. "I've never had definition in my stomach. There's always this layer on it," Yamaguchi says. That was the case even when she was at her fittest, training three hours a day, five days a week. And it was even more the case when she left the pro tour circuit. "I've always been good when it comes to diet -- fresh fruit with yogurt and granola for breakfast, maybe a turkey-and-cheese sandwich for lunch and chicken stir-fry for dinner.

"I believe in moderation, and I avoid certain junk foods," she explains. "My stomach is just a family trait." Take her tummy and her softer focus on exercise, factor in two pregnancies, and you have a sense of why, mentally and physically, Yamaguchi decided last year to go out for DWTS. "I'm a fan of the show, and I'd seen the transformations people went through after just several weeks," she recalls. "I figured it'd be a fun way to get into shape."