Fab at 48: After employing a tough diet and exercise regimen, Jenny Craig spokesmodel Valerie Bertinelli has lost more than 40 pounds.

And she’s showing off her new body–in a bikini, no less–on the cover of PEOPLE.

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Two years ago, the 5’4″ star was tipping the scales at 172 lbs., that’s more than 40 lbs. over her goal weight for her frame. But after just nine months of jogging, an healthier diet, and of course, Jenny Craig, Val’s down to 132 lbs.

Valerie hadn’t worn a bikini since she was 20 years old.

“I thought, If I’m so afraid of a bikini, there’s something wrong. And so I had to get back into one!,” the One Day at a Day star says in the new PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

Valerie celebrates her 49th birthday April 23.