Photo credit: Jeff Olson/Fitness Magazine
Every season on Top Chef, Padma Lakshmi goes up two dress sizes, thanks to eating the meals created by the chefs on the show. Lakshmi, 43, admits that doing photo shoots after gaining weight can be scary. “I found out about the cover right before doing Top Chef, knowing that I’d be gaining weight,” she said. “I was terrified. It’s FITNESS. I’d better be fit!” Well, Lakshmi always accomplishes her mission and manages to whip herself into amazing shape.
How does she pull of eating so much delicious food and having a great figure? “I would rather spend half my life at the gym and eat whatever I want than sit on my ass and starve,” Lakshmi said. She loves food too much to ever sacrifice it. She believes that starving yourself to look good just isn’t worth it.
After a season of Top Chef, Lakshmi works hard to lose the extra weight she put on. “I follow a clean diet: no meats, no sweets, no alcohol, no cheese, no fried food, no wheat. And I work out five days a week, boxing three days, lifting weights the other two. I carry a jump rope with me everywhere, especially when I’m working. It’s a great way to squeeze in a quick workout and get your heart rate up when you don’t have time to go to the gym.”
Once she is back to her desired weight, she eases up and enjoys food. Some of her favorites are pizza, nachos, cheese, potato chips, and fried chicken. “I believe in everything in moderation. I never say, ‘No, I can’t have any of that.’ I have it and enjoy it! After I finish this photo shoot, I’m going out for pizza, and I’m literally going to take down a whole large pie by myself.”
Her secret weapon when it comes to staying fit is stair-climbing. Climbing stairs, whether it be at home or at the gym, is great for cardio and strength. “After having a baby, I didn’t have time to go to the gym, and I had to be back on TV in less than six weeks. That’s how I started doing stairs. Now, whether I’m home or traveling, I climb as many as 70 flights a day, which takes me about 35 minutes. I don’t run them. I walk at a steady pace, two steps at a time. It’s the perfect workout because pretty much anywhere you go, there are stairs and they’re usually empty.”
Lakshmi may be over 40, but she doesn’t let age get in the way of her workout routine. “I’ve seen a slow decline in my metabolism from the time I was 30. Even when I’m at my ideal weight, I have to work out regularly—otherwise I’m jiggly. So I exercise consistently, even if it’s just doing some jumping jacks, planks and stairs or jumping rope for 10 minutes. I notice a difference if I go a week without exercise,” she said.
After having a baby, Lakshmi gained 45 pounds. But with hard work, she was able to drop all of the weight she gained. “It took 13 months to get the weight off. It was hard. I went from a size 4 to a size 14 when I was pregnant.”
“What’s interesting, though, is that, in my experience, men don’t want skinny girls. When I was a size 14, I got much more attention from men than I do now.” Lakshmi seems to have a work hard, play hard mentality. She spends lots of time exercising, but she also enjoys eating delicious foods without deprivation.
