Dear Lauren,
Buckle up because it’s going to be quite a ride, not like the Top Thrill Dragster but more like the Millennium Force. It’ll be a long ride with a fair share of highs, lows, twists and turns. You’ll diet for weeks, through seasons, holidays, birthdays (yes, even your own), but you’ll survive every single one of them. You’ll come out of this ten times stronger thanks to your triumphs and your struggles. You’ll learn what you’re capable of and shockingly enough you’ll spend majority of your time alone. There will be a lot of early mornings and late nights in the gym, you’ll eat every meal out of tupperware, and to your surprise, you’ll have successfully learned to make all of your own food (just a heads up, you’re gonna burn that first batch of rice at 11:00 P.M, but it’s gonna be okay, you kill the next one).
FYI, this is more than just a sport, this is a lifestyle heave ho. You won’t look at food the same, you’ll benefit from this but you’ll also struggle. You’ll learn so much about lifting, but it’ll take up a lot of your time. Your metabolism will be affected, your hormones– your hair will start to thin, your skin will scar from acne, your period will go missing, and you’ll always be cold. Yeah, I know, you weren’t aware of that part, it’s okay– it all balances out in the end. You will push your body and mind to extreme limits and you’ll walk out of this confident knowing that no one can push you harder than you’ve pushed yourself.
The post show dinner will be your favorite part, yes because of the food but more importantly because of the company. You’ll sit around tables with your family and friends from Cleveland to Vegas to Miami and everywhere in between, selfieing with burgers and chocolate cake like they’re the hot new items on the market (and yes people will stare, but take the pictures, they’re some of your favorites). Without fail someone will always say, “Are YOU really gonna eat all of that?!” don’t worry, you prove them wrong every time. You’ll know the best burger places from Cleveland to California and you’ll recommend your favorite spots as much as you can. 
Not that you doubted this part, but you will have the best support system known to man. I know I said you’ll be alone majority of the time, but they’re always a phone call away. They’ll show up to yours shows and be the loudest people in the crowd. Thankfully for them you’ll ‘real’ smile and not just awkwardly cheese it up on stage under those insanely bright lights. Their posters will be unique and hysterical and they’ll hold them up with some serious pride. They also don’t let you go hungry, their post show treats are on point and plentiful.
The image in the mirror will be the hardest part for you. During competing? No, not so much, it’ll be that “post show life” they call it. The part where you put weight back on but you no longer look the same since you also added muscle. Your perception of yourself will be skewed. You’ll initially have a poor relationship with yourself and food and you’ll question all of your decisions (yes, I know what you’re thinking, but it does happen to you, I’m sorry). Hey look though, it does get better after your first set of shows. You’ll get a new coach that helps you get your mind right and you’ll also take some extended time away from the stage. However, I will warn you, even with more experience, the mental struggle and the skewed perceptions will still come and go, but spoiler alert—you remain strong.
You’ll take breaks with competing but regardless, you’ll continue to wear your bodybuilding career like an invisible superhero cape draped across your back. It’ll be your silent super power. It’ll be the strength you call upon on days when you need that extra push. It’ll be there to remind you that your mind is your tool–use it to help and not hurt you. When you feel tired, hungry, irritable, the ‘cape’ will remind you that you’ve been in much deeper darker places and you’ve always risen to the occasion. You’ll frequently miss competing, even when you’re living out the lifestyle. The goal for the stage is tantalizing, motivating and based in everything you love: discipline, sacrifice, delayed gratification (okay, maybe not everything you love but everything you know that makes you a better and stronger person). It’s a love hate relationship sometimes, but what isn’t?
I can’t tell you how the story ends because that’s still a work in progress. You’ll use what you’ve learned to continue to help yourself and others. You’ll learn to say no when it would be easy to say yes and thankfully you’ll stay true to yourself. The best part is that you’ll learn to believe in yourself more than you ever have. Even when the voice in your own head doubts you, when other people doubt you, you never quit and you never give-up. You’ll use your preps as key reminders for just how strong you are and it’ll get you through future preps, life changes, and plain old bad days. Time goes fast, you know this, so don’t spend it over thinking and over analyzing because it all works out in the end anyways. Show day will be just as you imagined it to be–glamorous, exciting, riveting etc., but do me a favor, enjoy the days prior, every single one of them, for that’s where you’ll learn the most about yourself.
Best of luck,
Yours Truly