She's a fan favorite on DWTS, but Karina will be the first to tell you that sometimes even she has "fat days."
"There's always a body part you want slimmer, taller, skinnier," she said. "There's always something you want to change."
We had to ask how she gets skimpy-dress-ready. It's no surprise that working out is key, but Karina sees a lot of women making the same fitness mistake:
"One of the most common mistakes is doing the same thing over and over," she said. "The best workout is when you keep changing your heart rate, that way you burn more calories and get in better shape faster."
Karina says dancing is one of the best workouts you can get, since the steps are always changing. But if you only have a few days, there are some shortcuts.
First, Karina says, sweat out that water weight.
"If you have two days and you need to drop 5-10 pounds, go for the water weight. But keep hydrating yourself throughout," she said.
You can either hit the sauna or go for a jog on a warm day.
Second, beat the bloat by skipping salt and soft drinks. And her quick-fix diet:
"First, have a little bit of spinach in the morning. It'll fill you up and it's a great source of fiber," Karina said. "Then throughout the day, you can munch on little pieces of pineapple and watermelon. It gives you the energy because it has a lot of fructose, it breaks up the fat, and it's diuretic, so you're going to release all the water back out."
And don't underestimate the power of a good tan -- fake, of course.
"I love spray tan, as long as it's not orange," she said. "We've tried lots of products on the show and now we have an amazing product that I love."
Karina's DWTS tanning secret? South Seas skincare.
Find Ilona on Facebook at ABC13IlonaCarson or on Twitter at @IlonaCarson13
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