Everyone who has competed in a bodybuilding show will tell you how great it is. Not only do you train and change your body to the point of perfection, you also experience a great amount of energy while in pursuit of your goal. Even those who just want to lose some weight to look good for the summer or who just want to start a active life style will tell you about this great feeling of energy and satisfaction which may help to inspire you and others to set your own goals and make your own accomplishments. However, what all of these people won't tell you or prepare you for is what will happen to you once you achieve that goal and lose that feeling of greatness. Nobody wants to talk about or hear about stuff like that, but I am going to tell you about it to prepare you for the inevitable. So here's what no one is talking about:
 
Once you are done with that show, or you reach that goal...you are very likely to become depressed.. maybe you put some weight back on or you feel like you have nothing to work towards anymore....either way, you will find yourself stuck in a rut, clueless on how to get out unless you are aware of it and are prepared to deal with it. It's what I like to call "Post show/goal depression" because there is no standard terminology for it nor resources that can educate you about it. That's where I come in. The best way for me to explain this unfortunate feeling is to tell you a short story about which I found myself experiencing "post show/goal depression." If you have been through this unpleasant feeling before, you will be able to relate to my story, and if not then this will serve as a warning for those of you who are currently working to achieve a goal or who intend to pursue fitness goals in the future.
  
A while back, I was helping my ex-girlfriend get ready for her first bodybuilding show while simultaneously training for my first show that was 3 months away. It was great. I was so amazed how consistent, focused and motivated she was, and that also inspired me to chase after my show as well.
  
However, a few days after she won the overall title in her show, I found her to be a little depressed and I could not understand why. As days turned into weeks, I could not recognize this person anymore. Her depression had become so sever that she was now completely unhappy and unmotivated.
 
I just could not understand how some one so positive and strong minded could change so much in a matter of a few weeks.
 
As weeks went on, she ended up gaining more weight than she had before she competed and her depression increased even more.
 
I felt helpless and frosted and sad for the fact that I could not do or say anything to help her out.
 
I wanted to help her so I searched all over the internet, in every single web site there is regarding depression or bodybuilding sidefects but I found nothing. Then it happened to me. By this time I had also completed my first show and taken home first place. However, after being at such a high point and achieving my goal, I found myself in the exactly same situation.
 
I was depressed and in a short period of time I had added a lot weight to my frame.
 
There is no cure for the depression that I am telling you about. There are no pills or other quick fixes for it. The sad fact of the matter is that we all will go through it. The only thing you can do is to be aware of it so you can acknowledge it when it happens. This will enable you to be aware of what your body and mind are going through so you can understand it and prevent it from happening again.
  
Whenever you have a show or a goal in mind, every single day from that day and on until that deadline serves a purpose.
 
One day you are lifting and training harder, the next your diet is getting tighter, the next week you add your cardio, in the following week you are doing cardio at night in addition to the one in the morning and so on. All that work keeps you pumped with your endorphins racing, making you extremely happy.
 
There is a small goal added every single day after every week that is meant to keep you challenged and focused in the big "picture." Every day is a new challenge and you always step up for it.
 
Then you finally achieve it!!… and you look and feel like "that invincible hero" and no one can put you down!
 
The very next day you look around and ask yourself, "WHAT NOW“? What do I do next?"
  
There is no more challenges and dead line to meet.
  
Your first reaction is to take a break, which of course is well deserved.
 
Now you also treat yourself with a nice reward of your favorite meals and snacks.
 
Without you knowing, slowly your endorphins are dropping because you are still taking that break.
 
Now, you are also adding some water and some weight to your body which changes the way you look at yourself.
 
Next thing you know, that look or body you have now is not acceptable in comparison to how you looked just a few weeks back and depression makes you stay home and makes you eating even more and worse, not allowing you to have the motivation to go back to the gym.
  
IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US, whether it was a show that you did or just a weight lost program that you followed.
 
We can not stay at 100% at all time and it is not healthy for us to do so. But there is an in between ground. You have to find that "balance" where you will still keep yourself challenged. That same motivation and determination you had once you first started has to be alive all the time. You need to remember your experiences and learn about yourself and how you react to these situations because that self-knowledge and awareness throughout this entire journey is the perfect tool to be equipped with in the face of obstacles. It is what you need to equip yourself with so that you can use to get you out of that depression situation.
  
All you have left in you is that determination and desire that you once had. The key to stay in shape and keep on track is to know what to expect from your body.
  
You don’t have to go at full “speed” for now…take only one step back…keep yourself some what active, but do not stop completely.
  
After a few weeks on this “comfortable zone” set yourself again for a new challenge for the next 2 months or so…step ahead at full “speed” again.
  
But this time you will look and fell even better once you did in the first time… repeat that routine all over again…as you do this routine over and over again, your body will evolve to the point that you will not fell depress anymore and better yet…your metabolism will keep you lean all the time.
  
Using myself for example, now days when I’m off season, my body looks normal with all the food I eat, but just last year, if I was eating and exercising the same level I do today, I would be in much worse shape.
  
As I said, your body will evolve every time you push it to the limit. My first show I competed at 171lbs, and as the years went by, that same body evolved more and more…175lbs, 180lbs, 182lbs, and now 185lbs all at around 5% body fat…in return every year on the off season, I can eat more and more and work out less and less.
  
Be in control, have your break, but know when to start pushing yourself again. You don’t have to go at 100% again. Maybe allow yourself to step one notch down and stay there for a while until you get comfortable with it. Regardless of what you do, make sure to keep on challenging yourself with new goals all the time, but know when it's time for you to step back a bit and find your comfortable zone. If you are a bodybuilder, try to get ready for a show just once a year and that will keep you in great shape all the time. If you just wanted to lose some weight and you did, try a new challenge. You can train to get yourself ready for a half marathon, or even just to look good for a summer vocation, wedding, or a reunion. The bottom line is that there is no cure for what you went through. There is only your mind set and the determination you once had when you achieved your first goal. Just make sure that the first goal you had will not be your last one. Use what you learn during that self discovering process and keep it up.