Pre-workout supplement gone bad!

Hi, ShapeFit friends......ok, so here is the situation. One week ago my husband and I go into a GNC store for a pre-workout supplement for me as I need a little help for my 5 a.m. workouts. The guy gives us some sample packets of a powder supplement called Pump Fuel. I really liked it! It's pink, tastes great and gave me lots of energy!!! I have been using it for the last week. Well, today I get weighed by my trainer and I am 3 lbs heavier and I have been noticing that my belly is pooching big time! Ummm. my diet is still the same (pretty good) and I am doing MORE cardio and have added kickboxing to my routine so how could that have happened?? Also my bodyfat % went up from 29% to 35%!!! All this in a week and a half with no changes to diet and with more calorie burn?? Well, my husband looked at the package and discovered that it contained Creatine. Upon research he discovered that it is not good for women to take Creatine so I have stopped taking it. It causes waterweight gain so could that be the cause of my gain and puffiness?? If so how long after discontinuing does the waterweight disappear? Are there any other supps u guys recommend?? Thx!!!!

B complex vitamins help your body metabolize better, but unless you are eating something with a b supp, it's no going to do you much good. Bs are water soluble so you pee out the exchange, no need to worry about getting too much.

As for the body fat, I am slightly skeptical about those marks. Make sure that when you have the calculations done, they are using the same equipment and the same tech. They can vary widely. Otherwise, I'd say sleep more? I do the 5 am thing when I'm with my sister, but otherwise, no way can I get up and be ready that early.

Yeah, Les, the 5 a.m. thing is a BUMMER!!! With jobs and kids is the only time we can find to do it so that is what it is. Well, with the World Series being over now I can finally go to bed at my regular bed-time. Sadly the Phillies did not win. Anyways, the same tech did my measurements on the same scale first thing in the a.m.. Probrably the supplement coupled with my hormonal cycle did it. UGH!!!!!! Being a female so bittersweet! My husband eats way more carbs than me and still manages to stay lean!!!!!

Yeah boys are lame.

Pity you hadn't referenced my Supplement questionnaire post, where I hammered the research angle, espeially for ingredients and what they do.

Creatine for women is not wrong, but because of the water retention, and because a lot of women never do stuff that requires Fast Twitch explosive moment, either because they do endurance stuff, or live in a mythical world where heavy weights, buff you up in next to no time, many will never properly utilise the ability of Creatine, plus guys, myself included weighing 30-40lbs more than a healthy average female, can get crap results off it, with their increased muscle power and strength. I'm living proof Creatine doesn't do much for some

Although Creatines water retention is an issue especially for women during that week, as that causes water retention as well.

Creatien for women in relation to power increases, will yield some result, but in many cases for women who lift solidly and perhaps do stuff like boxing, martial arts etc etc, it probably won't do much, givne my point about heavier men.

So you were better off not taking it, obviously with hindsight.

If you want a supplemnent for pre-workout, you would be better just taking something like a Carb supplement, if that's what you want, like freeform Maltodextrin in a tub and see how that goes.

Otherwise, have something like a bowl of Cereal with a 1/2 -1 scoop of Protein powder, or swap the Cereal for something like a Banana.

Thank you for your recommendations, Bossman. I have ditched the Pump Fuel and will try the carb supp. I feel soo much better already since all the water retention has pretty much dissolved. I will leave that stuff for the guys!