Padma Lakshmi Regrets Talking About Dieting In Front Of Her Daughter

This year, Padma Lakshmi is rethinking the way she talks and thinks about weight loss.

The “Top Chef” host wrote a column for The Hollywood Reporter saying she usually gains 10 to 17 pounds while taping each show’s season, which requires her to eat 5,000 to 8,000 calories per day. Normally, she follows a strict diet and exercise regimen to work it all off in time for the Emmys red carpet.

But this year, Lakshmi’s 7-year-old daughter picked up on the way her mom skips pizza night, works out frequently and talks about changing her form.

“She’s noticed, and suddenly she’s told me and others in our circle, ‘I don’t want to eat because I’m watching my figure,’ or, ‘I weigh too much,’” Lakshmi wrote. “Her comments stopped me dead in my tracks.”

It’s important to send a positive message to her daughter about food, weight and body image, Lakshmi continued, so she’s changing the way she talks about looks around her daughter.

“I don’t want her to ever be ashamed of her body. I want her to cultivate her mind. I always say, ‘Beauty is skin-deep, but dumb and dull are to the bone.’”

Lakshmi has always been a star on the red carpet, but this awards season, she says fitting into a dress will not be her primary goal.

“Every message I telegraph about food and our bodies is important. So, this year, I’ve decided my weight will not be my focus. If I need a bigger dress, so be it. That one day — or any day — on the red carpet isn’t nearly as important as making sure my daughter doesn’t measure her worth by her dress size.”

Well said.