Thread: Weight training is a reason I didn't commit suicide.

I dont know where else to place this but I really wanted to share this story for the first time. I am going to be real frank here because it's something that changed my life dramatically, and something that I live for.

I have been clinicaly diagnosed with bi-polar/depression dissorder for a couple years. I went through a very very bad depression this past fall semester at school. I lost a love one and lost a girlfriend within a month. I attempted suicide 3 times in January, the details I wont go into. I was put in a pyschward for 2 days for observation. All I could do while I was in that place was to think about others things to be doing than sitting there smoking cigs.

In mid-feb I started going to the gym 6 times a week to start off with. I knew this was a fast start but I felt I needed to put myself into something I could find fun and important. I started seeing small gains realitively quick. In late-march I was again severely depressed because of some issues with the past girlfriend. I was lying in the bathtub with a bottle of valium in one hand and a phone in the other. I started thinking about my reasons for living. One thing that stood out amongst the rest was the fact that I knew I could get my body in good condition if I tried and comitted myself to it; I WANTED TO SEE WHAT I COULD DO, WHERE MY AMBITION COULD LEAD ME. I used the hand the phone was in to call the police to come pick me up and take me to a hospital and let my other go limp.

I am still up and down and my life doesnt seem all that great right at the moment, but there is one thing I know I can look forward to everyday. And thats the two hours at the gym that make me feel good.


If you are interested here is my progression for those first three months. I was pretty badly starved during this time, only eating one meal a day sometimes 2 and drinking water but all in all I was happy with my results.

3 mnths ago
http://people.tamu.edu/~bpm7077/nosoup3monthsago.jpg
Now
http://people.tamu.edu/~bpm7077/nosoupback.jpg
http://people.tamu.edu/~bpm7077/nosoupnoflex.jpg
http://people.tamu.edu/~bpm7077/nosouptriceps.jpg
http://people.tamu.edu/~bpm7077/nosoupchest.jpg
http://people.tamu.edu/~bpm7077/nosoupsideflex.jpg
http://people.tamu.edu/~bpm7077/nosoupfrontflex.jpg

I agree, great progress, especially considering how little you were eating. I hope things keep improving for you. Please be careful about overtraining though. I overcompensated with distance running, me, and eventually paid the price for that in chronic knee trouble. (Which is why I now lift more than run.)

I'm in there with Monolith on the fish oil, by the way. I reacted badly to meds myself (hallucinations and voices, oh boy!) but fish oil and St. John's Wort did help.