Valerie Bertinelli Bikini Photos at 48! How she did it!

Two years ago Valerie Bertinelli tipped the scales at 172 lbs. After whittling herself down to 132 lbs. in about 9 months, Bertinelli was ready for a new challenge.. .wearing a bikini at age 48.

The night before she prepared to step out in public wearing a bikini – for the first time in nearly 30 years! – she found herself unable to sleep. As her mind raced with insecurity (”I thought, Am I really going to do this? Can I pull this off?” the actress admits), Bertinelli tried to summon up a pep talk, telling herself, “What am I so afraid of? Come on – it’s just a bathing suit!”

After about a year of exercising on her own while losing weight, primarily by walking 10,000 steps a day – she hired a personal trainer in December. Before long she was running up to five times a week.

During what she calls the bikini “homestretch” – the last three weeks – she trimmed her daily caloric intake from 1,700 to around 1,200, and gave up her regular “splurge” glass of champagne. “It was crunch time,” she says, “like getting ready for your class reunion!”