Stadler's dietary belt has been loosened

"I lost a lot of weight real quick. I lost like 55 pounds in three-and-a-half months and my golf game went to hell at the end of it. I lost almost six inches on my waist and I was playing horrible.

"Probably unfortunately I decided to put back 10 or 12 to see if it would help my game and I started playing well again and then put on another 10 or 12.

"I started having fun again. I put on about 13 or 14 pounds in probably two months and another 10 over Christmas."

But Stadler is not the only sportsman, let alone golfer, whose diet has become the centre of attention.

Britain's three top golfers; Colin Montogmerie, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke are all big enough to form a competitive rugby front row but have suffered cruel jibes about their heavyset physiques.

Russell was not one to stick to a menu

Montgomerie was called Mrs Doubtfire by American fans and subsequently went on a diet that had dire consequences for his game.

David Duval, a fanatical gym enthusiast, suggested Westwood and Clarke would be far better players if they shed some kilos.

Away from the fairways and on the rugby field giant All Black wing Jonah Lomu had a voracious appetite while he recovered from a live-saving kidney surgery.

The man-mountain, who has been the scourge of England over the years, ballooned to almost 300 pounds and was consuming two chickens plus numerous Big Macs every day as his appetite raged out of control.

Eccentric English cricketer Jack Russell once survived on a trip to India by eating steak and chips for 28 consecutive days.

Taurima loved his deep pan

But his dietary delights did not stop there, he would eat Weetabix drowned in milk for breakfast and lunch, chew through a packet of Jaffa cakes and wholemeal biscuits during the day before chowing down on mashed potato mixed with plain rice, baked beans and brown sauce.

England's wayward football star Paul Gascoigne used to munch his way through Mars bars and lager as his way of 'refuelling'.

Prior to one of his fights Frank Bruno was ingesting around 100 multi-vitamin pills every day and former NFL star William 'The Fridge' Perry did not get his nickname because his middle name was Whirlpool.

Even an Olympic silver medallist, Australia's long jumper 'Jumpin' Jai Taurima, had a diet that any couch potato would be proud of.

Taurima, who only came second to Ivan Pedroso after the Cuban produced a stunning jump in the final round, liked nothing better than to dine on pizza and smoke cigarettes.

There is hope for us all.