American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi gets back in a bikini for a new photo shoot feature on the upcoming issue of Women’s Health Magazine (April 2010). The 38 year-old songwriter/music producer was very apprehensive about baring her rocking hot bikini body on Idol’s season finale (photos here) but she admits the stunt probably saved her job.

Kara DioGuardi Sexes It Up In a Bikini For Maxim

“I kept saying no! I mean, what crazy nut is gonna go out there in a bikini at almost 40 years of age?” she tells the mag, on stands Tuesday (March 16). Says Kara: “It was a defining moment, like, ‘She’s … as kooky as everyone else on this panel.’” In the exclusive interview (bikini photos below), Kara also talks about battling an eating disorder and how she keeps fit. Here are some highlights:

Battling an eating disorder: “I’d pretty much clean out the refrigerator. Food was my drug of choice. It anesthetized me so I wouldn’t have to feel whatever I was feeling. I’d stuff myself full of sugar and fall asleep.”

On eating healthy: “The more roughage you eat, the more it fills you up.”

On the importance of water: “Two huge bottles a day, minimum. I have them around — one upstairs, one in the car — to force me to remember.”

Her exercise routine: “Two miles of running or 25 minutes of cardio — boxing, treadmill, step-ups, walking lunges, sprints. I mix it up. And weight training is important as you get older. You build muscle which burns fat when you’re at rest.”

Kara DioGuardi In Bikini AGAIN Women’s Health Photos

[images: Women’s Health Mag]