Wolfgang Puck's edible epiphany

The chef to the stars tells AOL.com changing the way he eats changed his life.

He's the man behind the 15,000 dishes served at the Oscars every year. Now, at 64, famed chef Wolfgang Puck is making a few changes to his diet.

After years of tasting and devouring the amazing and sometimes decadent foods surrounding the rich and famous, the Austrian-born Puck tells AOL.com's Brian Balthazar that he realized it was time to take a closer look at his health. "When I was in my mid-50s I said I'm gonna have to give up skiing, I'm gonna have to give up playing tennis," says Puck. "Because I was overweight, and I never exercised before. I ate really unhealthy. Instead of eating a lot of vegetables or salads and things like that, I ate a lot of pastries and a lot of bread and a lot of butter and so on..."

This epiphany lead to a 25-pound weight loss and a brand new book of recipes called "Wolfgang Puck Makes It Healthy." But, he says his weight loss was credited not to just the types of foods he ate, it was also how much he was eating. "I think the first thing is quality over quantity," says Puck. "You know, we are used, in America, to eat these huge portions. You don't have to eat that much to feel good. I tell everybody, if you eat dinner, you have to eat just enough so you can make love when you go home. Not fall asleep in front of your TV."

The chef got rid of his soft belly, but maintains a soft heart while talking about family. When asked if he beams with pride over his reputation as the Hollywood chef, Puck took a step back saying, "If I would put something on my tombstone... if my kids write on it 'Wolfgang was a great father' that would be the biggest thing."

Wolfgang Puck's new book "Wolfgang Puck Makes It Healthy" is available right now.