Body Image After a Bikini Competition: Navigating Post-Show Changes

12 minute read

It’s six weeks post-show, and you notice the lines fading and clothes that were loose start fitting again. Even though you know it's part of the plan… you can’t help but feel worried. Maybe you feel like you’re moving backward or losing progress.

You logically know the goal post-show isn’t to keep getting leaner, or to stay at stage lean. So why does seeing the scale go up, and your definition fade, feel so worrying? So distressing? 

Maybe there are even days when the scale decides your mood. A higher number = bad mood and a bad day. A lower number = good mood and a good day.

Just because you know why your body is changing... doesn't mean you feel happy or comfortable with those changes. How you feel deserves attention. You don’t have to dismiss it or simply tough it out. 

In this article, we’ll dive into post-show body image. We'll talk about where uncomfortable feelings could be coming from. What (or who) you might be comparing yourself to. We'll finish with what you can actually do when challenging moments happen. All so you can support yourself, your goals, and your well-being.

What Is Actually Bothering You About Post-Show Weight Gain?

What are you noticing? How do you feel about it? What are you worried it means? 

Get specific. 

Is it the lines fading and clothes fitting tighter? The scale going up? Or if it will ever STOP going up? 

Maybe it's thoughts about food feeling overwhelming. Or maybe you can’t stop thinking about what others might be thinking about your weight.

Maybe you’re telling yourself that you’re failing. That it shouldn’t be this hard. That you aren’t cut out to be a ‘real’ bodybuilder.

Why get specific?  

Getting specific helps calm your brain's alarm system and reduces emotional intensity. It can help lower reactivity and help you feel more centered. Which makes what we’ll learn about later easier to do.

Once you’ve identified what you truly are feeling, consider…

When you look at your body now… what are you comparing it to? 

Your show day physique? Other competitors? The Pros? Enhanced athletes? 

Are You Comparing Your Post-Show Body to a Stage-Lean Physique? 

Bodybuilding involves working toward a particular look. 

And as you become more immersed in bodybuilding, you see that look everywhere. 

You see it on show-day photos.

You see it in shredded gym selfies. 

You see it in posing videos with just the right lighting. 

You see… lean, muscular physiques, over and over again.

And it’s worth noticing… 

Have those images become the reference point for how your body ‘should’ look? What about your old check-in photos?

Sure, you know, comparing your post-show physique to someone stepping onstage next weekend isn’t a fair comparison. But knowing something doesn't automatically change how you feel. And it doesn't automatically make that comparison feel less distressing.

When stage-conditioned physiques become your baseline, gaining weight, and getting softer can feel like you're failing or falling behind. 

You see the gap between how you look now and what you think the 'standard' is. And the thought might go beyond “I miss my abs” to “I’m letting myself go” or “I don’t look like a competitor anymore.”

That’s why the benchmark you use matters. Does it make sense? Does it align with your current goals? What would it ask of you if you were to meet it? 

It's time to ask... how much influence do you want that 'ideal physique' to have over your daily life and the choices you make?

How Much Space Do You Want Your Physique to Take Up? 

When it comes to trying to maintain ‘that look’, how much space is it taking up in your life? 

I’m not saying you can’t like the lean look. I’m not saying you can’t take pride in your physique. I’m not saying you can’t keep building it. 

Two things can be true. You can care about your physique AND want it to take up a bit less space in your life. 

Is maintaining or chasing a particular physique taking up too much? Too much time? Energy? Attention? Is it taking away from other areas of your life? 

What might change if you cared just a little bit less? 

You can and should still take care of yourself by eating nourishing food. You can still train hard and work toward your goals. You can care a little bit less and still take training and nutrition seriously.

All while enjoying a variety of foods. Take guilt-free rest days. Dabble in other fitness activities. And have more room for things that matter to you that aren't bodybuilding.

Caring a little bit less isn’t about not caring for or taking pride in your body. It’s about considering how much influence and impact your appearance has over your thoughts, choices, and your day.

You can ask yourself these questions:

• How much is pursuing or maintaining a certain physique asking of you?

• Are you happy with how much impact it has? 

• Is it adding to your life?

• What do you want beyond your physique? 

Even if you've reflected on everything... that doesn't mean the discomfort automatically disappears. Or that you’ll suddenly feel happy about the changes you’re seeing. 

So next, we are going to dive into what you can do in those challenging moments.

How to Respond to Uncomfortable Body Image Thoughts 

It’s Monday morning, and you pull on a pair of pants, and you notice… they feel tight. 

Immediately your brain says, “Oh no, we’re getting fat. We should skip breakfast. Or maybe we should do some extra cardio.”

The urge to act, to ‘do something,’  can feel... well... urgent.

It feels like you need to do something to help 'fix' those icky feelings the tight pants brought up.

Heck, even thinking about skipping breakfast might make you feel a bit better, even. 

I am not saying you have to pretend you LIKE your pants feeling tight. I am saying what you DO when those types of thoughts pop up does matter.

Can you feel that icky feeling and accept that it feels icky? Without letting it decide your next actions? Can you DELIBERATELY choose how you respond?

The ability to have and accept difficult thoughts and feelings about your body, and not letting those thoughts, feelings, or urges control your actions, is Body Image Flexibility.

On a Monday morning, it might look like this: 

Notice what is happening.

My pants feel tighter, and I’m having the thought that I should skip breakfast.

Accept the discomfort.

“I don’t like how this feels.” 

The discomfort is real. Accepting the discomfort doesn't mean you like it. Accepting the thought doesn't mean you have to act on it.

You can accept the feeling and the thought without treating them like instructions.

Reconnect with what matters right now.

What would support your well-being, goals, and values right now? Would skipping breakfast do that? What behavior would actually be supportive? 

Choose your next action.

In this situation, that means eating your normal breakfast. Not changing the plan based on how your pants fit.

And maybe it means changing into some pants that do fit comfortably.

The thought, that discomfort, might still be there while you eat your breakfast. And that can be okay.

Thoughts aren’t rules or orders you have to follow. You can notice the urge and not act on it.

You won’t catch every thought or urge in the moment. Sometimes you’ll only notice afterward. That gives you something to learn from: what happened, how you responded, and what you might try next time.

What Does Progress Look Like After Prep? 

Prep is narrow. There is one focused goal. But post-show, your world can broaden again. There is room for more. 

With a bigger world, what progress looks like now should be different from what it looked like in prep.

With that, the question becomes… what does success or progress look like now? 

Is it improving your relationship with food? Moving away from tracking? Having more energy to devote to friends, family, or hobbies? 

The scale going down, measuring your green beans down to the gram, are no longer the markers of success.

Success might be trusting yourself around food without tracking.

Success might be not needing to weigh yourself to feel like you're living a life that supports your goals.

Success might be having the energy needed to go on a random 6-mile hike with your bestie.

Or maybe success is a morning you notice your pants feel snug... and not caring all that much.

You can still care about your physique and how you look. You can enjoy training hard. You can take pride in your appearance and your progress. Bodybuilding can be a part of your life.

But maybe, just maybe, it shouldn't be your WHOLE life.

So ask yourself: What does success look like for me right now?

- That’s exactly what I help women work toward in Built by Sam coaching. We work to make bodybuilding a part of your life, but not your entire life. You can learn more about coaching HERE or book a free consultation HERE.