Padma Lakshmi’s Weight Gain During ‘Top Chef’ Is Basically Unavoidable

She explained that her daughter, who was 7 at the time, had begun to mimic concerns about her own weight and for Padma, it was a wake-up call. At the time, she said that for that year’s award show season she wouldn’t be ruled by her weight.

“This year, I’ve decided my weight will not be my focus,” Padma wrote. “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.”