After confessing to weight gain, "Top Chef" star Padma Lakshmi announced that she has stopped dieting. Or at least she's not chasing the perfect size 0 dress anymore. The reality television host has had it with anorexic diets that are more eating disorder than a meal plan. And her reason for doing so will surprise and endear you. But is the celebrity chef advocating obesity as healthier than weight loss?

"Top Chef" host outlines food dilemma

Weight loss is easier said than done for those who cook and eat for a living. Padma Lakshmi isn't the first celebrity chef to bemoan weight struggles.

"MasterChef" star Graham Elliot famously battled and won against morbid obesity. "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" host Guy Fieri fights his own battle of the bulge. Even the trim Chef Gordon Ramsay of "Hell's Kitchen" has to work at staying that way So it's no wonder that Lakshmi gains 10-17 pounds per season of "Top Chef" with such an occupational hazard.

Padma Lakshmi goes stale on killer diet

After years of ruthless, anorexia-type dieting before the Emmy Awards, the "Top Chef" celebrity decided to quit starving herself. In order to be red carpet ready, she would give up everything: meat, wheat, and gluten, cheese and dairy, fried foods, sweets, and alcohol. Now that diet might not sound so bad but over time, it's almost impossible to sustain.

Research says lack of sustainability is why most weight loss plans fail. Bariatric surgery specialist Dr. Younan Nowzaradan of "My 600-lb Life" warns against such restrictive diets.

Celeb chef dispels perfect body myth

The reality TV host of Bravo said that trying to get a 40-something body to look like a teenage model is impossible.

This message was echoed by Sofia Vergara when she posed nude in Women's Health. It's often harder for supermodels and beautiful women who've never been overweight see how destructive an eating disorder is. It may even be more dangerous than obesity because it shows such a flawed body image. Ashley Graham is pushing magazines to feature the plus-size model not to celebrate fat but to give a more realistic view of women's bodies.

What cooled Padma Lakshmi on diet?

The "Top Chef" host didn't realize how dangerous her dieting was till her daughter began to imitate it. Lakshmi heard her child worrying over getting fat and refusing certain foods. The celebrity mom was concerned over body image messages she was sending. Padme said that as her child's "first touchstone of femininity" she has a responsibility to set a positive example of body love. So it's out with the crazy diets and in with a healthier self-image.
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