Here's Why Tom Colicchio Usually Loses Weight While Filming Top Chef (and Padma Lakshmi Doesn't)

We all know it seems to be easier for men to lose weight than women. Faster metabolisms, more fat-burning muscle, and more testosterone are all reasons why men seem to slim down much more quickly than women do. But that's not why Top Chef head judge Tom Colicchio says he usually loses weight when taping a new season, whereas host Padma Lakshmi tends to gain a few pounds (as much as 17 during Season 4—all that deep-dish pizza in Chicago!).

“She eats more than I do on the set because she does the quickfire challenges and the eliminations and I only do the eliminations,” Tom explained in a recent PEOPLE interview. “I actually tend to lose weight believe it or not.”

While the show is filming, Tom's schedule is more relaxed than when he's at home, allowing him to squeeze in more exercise, he added. “I work every other day so I have more time to workout then I do when I’m home,” he said. “So I usually maintain my weight or sometimes lose weight.”

Padma, who claims she consumes “thousands of calories a day” while taping Top Chef, resorts to her go-to cleanse to help keep extra pounds at bay—her "Cranberry Drano." “It all gets stirred up and handed to me two or three times a day before I go on set or right after I come off set to keep the pipes clean,” she told PEOPLE.

To stay in shape, both Padma and Tom love the same workout: boxing. Tom met his trainer while watching a fight at Madison Square Garden eight years ago and has been boxing ever since. Padma describes boxing as her "meditation" and hits up NYC's Mendez Boxing to stay fit.

It's no wonder these two are so good at sparring with each other at judges' table.