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"I finally said to her one day, 'I think at my age – I was pushing 40 at the time – that this is not the weight my body wants to be.' And she said, 'Well, you can lose weight,' " Favreau, 41, tells PEOPLE. "I went to Joya because she has always been my partner."
Losing about 5 lbs. a week, according to his wife, Favreau went from 290 to 205 lbs. by following a diet she prescribed. Pleased with his results, the actor admits, "I would feel weird if I ate the way I used to."
That doesn't mean he can't watch himself "get fatter" again – Amazon.com has released DVDs of all five seasons of his show Dinner for Five, in which he hosted and indulged in 49 gourmet meals.
"It's a lot easier looking at yourself fatter than it is looking at yourself thinner," Favreau admits.
To read more about Favreau's slim down success, pick up the Dec. 3 issue of PEOPLE on newsstands now.
