Staying motivated while being depressed.

Hi all.
I've recently been diagnosed with bipolar type 2, which explains a lot about my previous attempts in trying to get fit / not fat.
The thing is that I've always drifted into some serious depression when I've tried to workout and get proper fit...which leads to comfort eating...
End result is that I've become pretty fat and unfit, 5.9" weighing 216 lbs. I started a low calorie food replacement regime with the help of a coach at the local gym 5 weeks ago and I've lost 25 lbs.
I am struggling as hell with getting depressed again though and I can't seem to drag my ass to the gym to train...
In an attempt to push myself I thought I'd set the goal to participate in a local Men's Physique competition in December 2018...

How do I stay motivated? Should I loose more weight before I start working out properly?
I'm trying to avoid these "12 week quick fix" plans, trying to build for the future and make it stick...

It's hard to know what triggers it for you, for me at least being depressed is actually pretty motivating as I feel I'm crawling my way out of that hole by taking better care of myself.

You should start working out pronto if you wish to change your body, even in a deficit it'll help you hold on to your muscle mass and maybe even gain some if you're a complete beginner. Also you'll begin learning proper form and be able to jump right into a more progressive workout program when you start bulking.

That's a really awesome way of trying to deal with it, I'll try that out.
It's a bit odd I guess, but just writing my post yesterday motivated me to drag my ass to the gym (and feel really good about it) for the first time a while.
I'm still wondering though if it's a good idea to loose more weight / body fat before starting to get bigger / more defined?
Or if I should get going ASAP on that.

Any classes, groups or teams you could join? Always find it easier to motivate myself if I'm letting someone else down by not going.

You'd better get damn committed right now if you plan on stepping on a competitive stage barely over a year from now. Commit yourself to the fitness lifestyle. Make it a high priority. You're in the gym and you're eating properly whether you want to or not. See how depression likes that. Gaurantee you're going to feel better if you really commit and take competing a year from now seriously.

I'm in the same boat right now OP. It's ****ing hard man. Are you on any antidepressants? I was for about 3 years and I don't know if it was from the medication or having the munchies but I was 220 at the highest weight. I've read that this is a correlation between weight gain and antidepressants. I got to 158 after I stopped taking meds for depression and started my bulk a few months ago. Right now I'm at 165 but I've gained a couple more pounds than I wanted.

I actually find that going to the gym is an effective antidepressant. Pay attention to how you feel after a workout. Exercise produces endorphins, which are the body's natural antidepressants. I also struggle with low motivation when GOING to the gym, but afterwards, I usually feel fantastic, and I let that feeling motivate me. Sometimes it's not even about what the workout is doing for me in terms of bulking, losing weight, etc, but more about how great it makes me feel afterwards.

Good music is always the best solution

Push yourself because no one else is going to do it. – Unknown