Taking time away from her judging duties on the hit series "Top Chef," Padma Lakshmi soaked up the spotlight by covering the November 2013 issue of Fitness magazine.

While showing off her flawless figure for the Jeff Olson-shot spread, the 43-year-old cookbook author shared her workout secrets and revealed how men reacted to her curves while dropping her pregnancy weight.

Check out a few highlights from Miss Lakshmi's interview below. For more, be sure to visit Fitness!

On her pregnancy weight:
"It took 13 months to get the weight off. 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."

On her diet:
"I follow a clean diet: no meat, 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."

On her fitness regime:
"To maintain my weight I strength-train, use the treadmill and elliptical, and box three times a week. I also do planks at home and jump rope. 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."

On her ultimate food weaknesses:
"I have a lot of them. Pizza, nachos, cheese, potato chips, 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 finished this photo shoot, I'm going out for pizza, and I'm literally going to take down a whole large pie by myself."