Rosie Chee
The Female Terminator
- Awards
- 3
Because of my screwed up sleeping patterns, Doug suggested that I try G8, and Al was kind enough to send me a tub to use, to see if it made a difference. It DID - although not the way you might expect (explained below) - and this is what happened...
What is it?
For more information on G8, review Finaflex-Redefine Nutrition :: G8.
Formula: The formula was actually what intrigued me about G8 and the only reason I said "yes" to trying it [since every other natural Growth Hormone booster - aside from IGF-2 - has NOT worked with my body and screwed me up for quite some time on cessation of use (explained below)].
Smell: Like lemon scented dishwashing liquid.
Taste: I am not a fan of Lemon flavour in general, but the Lemon Freeze G8 flavour was downright nasty and almost like drinking chalk (if you ground it up) - one of the worst tasting supplements I have ever used.
Mixability: G8 mixed well with water. No clumps, although a little bit of bubbles on settling.
Texture: Like fruit juice once the "bubbles" settled.
ELEVATE
Growth Hormone Levels: Although I would have liked to see the changes in my Growth Hormone levels from pre to post-G8, I did not have bloods done. That said, Growth Hormone contributes to muscle growth and leanness in females, and I definitely noticed an INcrease in muscle mass - particularly in my delts and arms (even though bodyfat INcreased, definition also became stronger) - over the period of my use of G8 [although my training was slightly above my Maintenance training levels and my caloric consumption was almost ~3,000 in excess of my Maintenance calories, any muscle gains cannot be solely attributed to G8].
Mood and Overall Sense of Feeling: During my use of G8 my mood was all over the place due to external circumstances.
Sex Drive and Libido: Libido was up and down when using G8 - rather high during the first week, subsiding a little into the next. Regardless, circumstances meant I didn't do anything about it.
RESTORE
Insulin-Like Growth Factor Levels: Although it would have been interesting to see the changes in my Insulin-Like Growth Factor levels from pre to post-G8, I did not have bloods done. As mentioned above under "Growth Hormone Levels", "I definitely noticed an INcrease in muscle mass - particularly in my delts and arms (even though bodyfat INcreased, definition also became stronger) - over the period of my use of G8 [although my training was slightly above my Maintenance training levels and my caloric consumption was almost ~3,000 in excess of my Maintenance calories, any muscle gains cannot be solely attributed to G8]."
Dopamine and Serotonin Levels: Although I would have liked to see the changes in both my Dopamine and Serotonin levels from pre to post-G8, I did not have bloods done. That said, I have a Dopamine IMbalance - one of the reasons why most natural Growth Hormone boosters have the OPPOSITE than INTENDED effect on me (yes, I know, my body is screwed up) - with mine being TOO LOW. Not only that, but my Adenosine levels are too HIGH, which comes into play as well.
Self-Confidence: Supplements don't have an effect on my self-confidence.
RECOVER
Recovery: My recovery was good. I was training pretty hard, upping the intensity each time as I could. My second week using G8, I upped the intensity in resistance sessions by a reasonable amount (which has contributed to my joint conditioning worsening), albeit going a little "easier" re pm cardio, using the Recline Bike instead of a 7-mile Run, due to the increasing pain in my knees.
Sleep: Sleep was all over the place (see "Sleeping Patterns" under "Other Notes" below), with the first week I was using G8, UNable to sleep for ~1.5 days, and then - very likely because of the heavy training and lack of sleep for ~1,5 days - slept for almost HALF a day. Sleep, when got, was VERY deep and Uninterrupted, although I most often woke very groggy, not wanting to get up and it taking some time to, feeling like someone was trying to drill a hole in my head.
OTHER NOTES
Other Effects: Despite being HIGHLY stressed (one of the only two instances when my skin can be affected negatively) and during the only time I might see a blemish or two, it was surprisingly NOT affected by the circumstance, as clear and smooth as ever, which was nice...Appetite was also drastically elevated during my use of G8, moreso than my "usual", and for the two weeks of using G8, I was eating ~10,000 calories on the "days" when I was AWAKE, bringing me out at an average close to ~7,000 calories per day (since on a couple of days I did not eat at all, due to rising and training hours) - no wonder my body composition (see "Body Statistics" under "Other Notes" below) concurrently changed so drastically (my Maintenance calories are ~4,300 a day)....
Cliffnotes on observations during use and week-post cessation of use of G8:
Training Schedule
Week 1 - four resistance sessions, three days of double cardio (two done on cardio only days, the other on Full-Body day, two done re 7-mile run); training all done from ~2200 (instead of usual start from ~0430)
Week 2 - four resistance sessions, three days of double cardio (two done on resistance training days, only one done re 7-mile run); day off this week on Tuesday instead of Sunday; training all done from ~0530 (instead of usual start from ~0430)
Week post-cessation of G8 - "easy/deload" week with only three days of resistance training and four days of cardio, only one session of running (normally would do 5-7 runs a week)
Sleeping Patterns
Week 1 - no sleep for 1.5 days and then sleep for almost half a day
Week 2 - slept for 4-5 hours daily, albeit all over the place, falling sleep time INconsistent
Week post-cessation of G8 - with the exception of Monday (where no sleep at all) and Sunday (where slept for ~10 hours), rest of the week sleeping for ~1 hour early in the day and then 3-5 hours later in the day most days, waking with appetite HIGH
Body Statistics
Start pre-use of G8 - 8% bodyfat at 108.4 pounds
End of Week 1 - 8.5% bodyfat at 111 pounds (+0.5% bodyfat; +2.6 pounds body mass: +1.837 pounds lean, +1.763 pounds bodyfat)
End of Week 2 - 9% bodyfat at 113.2 pounds (+0.5% bodyfat; +2.2 pounds body mass: +1.447 pounds lean, +0.753 pounds bodyfat)
End of Week post-cessation of G8 - 8.9% bodyfat at 115.2 pounds (-0.1% bodyfat; +2 pounds body mass: +1.9352 pounds lean, +0.0648 pounds bodyfat)
CONCLUSION
Overall: This is rather difficult for me to do, since G8 DID give me great sleep - when I slept: Deep, UNdisturbed, and restful. BUT, it also severely messed up my sleeping patterns (which, honestly, even though they have had their moments of being on track, have not been the same since I came to the US), which I did not enjoy. And the OTHER effects I experienced, especially re appetite (although this can also be attributed to training heavily and being awake for more than a day many days), I did NOT appreciate (given what my appetite is ALREADY like).
Would I use it again? I actually STOPPED using G8 after two weeks of use because, despite the awesome sleep it gave me, it was (and still is) DRASTICALLY affecting my sleeping patterns, which in turn was having some very UNwanted effects re other factors. So, no, I would not use G8 again myself personally.
Would I recommend? If one is looking for extreme deep and rested sleep, and they have had no issues (like I have) using natural Growth Hormone boosters in the past, then yes, I might recommend G8 (any recommendation/s I made re supplements are based on what will be best for that individual re their goals and needs and other personal factors, etc.).
This review is also available in my training/supplementation journal (post #278) in the Supplement Reviews/Logs subsection of the Supplements Forum: The Female Terminator Chronicles: The Ultimate Muscle and Physique Stack (2012).
What is it?
For more information on G8, review Finaflex-Redefine Nutrition :: G8.
Formula: The formula was actually what intrigued me about G8 and the only reason I said "yes" to trying it [since every other natural Growth Hormone booster - aside from IGF-2 - has NOT worked with my body and screwed me up for quite some time on cessation of use (explained below)].
Smell: Like lemon scented dishwashing liquid.
Taste: I am not a fan of Lemon flavour in general, but the Lemon Freeze G8 flavour was downright nasty and almost like drinking chalk (if you ground it up) - one of the worst tasting supplements I have ever used.
Mixability: G8 mixed well with water. No clumps, although a little bit of bubbles on settling.
Texture: Like fruit juice once the "bubbles" settled.
ELEVATE
Growth Hormone Levels: Although I would have liked to see the changes in my Growth Hormone levels from pre to post-G8, I did not have bloods done. That said, Growth Hormone contributes to muscle growth and leanness in females, and I definitely noticed an INcrease in muscle mass - particularly in my delts and arms (even though bodyfat INcreased, definition also became stronger) - over the period of my use of G8 [although my training was slightly above my Maintenance training levels and my caloric consumption was almost ~3,000 in excess of my Maintenance calories, any muscle gains cannot be solely attributed to G8].
Mood and Overall Sense of Feeling: During my use of G8 my mood was all over the place due to external circumstances.
Sex Drive and Libido: Libido was up and down when using G8 - rather high during the first week, subsiding a little into the next. Regardless, circumstances meant I didn't do anything about it.
RESTORE
Insulin-Like Growth Factor Levels: Although it would have been interesting to see the changes in my Insulin-Like Growth Factor levels from pre to post-G8, I did not have bloods done. As mentioned above under "Growth Hormone Levels", "I definitely noticed an INcrease in muscle mass - particularly in my delts and arms (even though bodyfat INcreased, definition also became stronger) - over the period of my use of G8 [although my training was slightly above my Maintenance training levels and my caloric consumption was almost ~3,000 in excess of my Maintenance calories, any muscle gains cannot be solely attributed to G8]."
Dopamine and Serotonin Levels: Although I would have liked to see the changes in both my Dopamine and Serotonin levels from pre to post-G8, I did not have bloods done. That said, I have a Dopamine IMbalance - one of the reasons why most natural Growth Hormone boosters have the OPPOSITE than INTENDED effect on me (yes, I know, my body is screwed up) - with mine being TOO LOW. Not only that, but my Adenosine levels are too HIGH, which comes into play as well.
Self-Confidence: Supplements don't have an effect on my self-confidence.
RECOVER
Recovery: My recovery was good. I was training pretty hard, upping the intensity each time as I could. My second week using G8, I upped the intensity in resistance sessions by a reasonable amount (which has contributed to my joint conditioning worsening), albeit going a little "easier" re pm cardio, using the Recline Bike instead of a 7-mile Run, due to the increasing pain in my knees.
Sleep: Sleep was all over the place (see "Sleeping Patterns" under "Other Notes" below), with the first week I was using G8, UNable to sleep for ~1.5 days, and then - very likely because of the heavy training and lack of sleep for ~1,5 days - slept for almost HALF a day. Sleep, when got, was VERY deep and Uninterrupted, although I most often woke very groggy, not wanting to get up and it taking some time to, feeling like someone was trying to drill a hole in my head.
OTHER NOTES
Other Effects: Despite being HIGHLY stressed (one of the only two instances when my skin can be affected negatively) and during the only time I might see a blemish or two, it was surprisingly NOT affected by the circumstance, as clear and smooth as ever, which was nice...Appetite was also drastically elevated during my use of G8, moreso than my "usual", and for the two weeks of using G8, I was eating ~10,000 calories on the "days" when I was AWAKE, bringing me out at an average close to ~7,000 calories per day (since on a couple of days I did not eat at all, due to rising and training hours) - no wonder my body composition (see "Body Statistics" under "Other Notes" below) concurrently changed so drastically (my Maintenance calories are ~4,300 a day)....
Cliffnotes on observations during use and week-post cessation of use of G8:
Training Schedule
Week 1 - four resistance sessions, three days of double cardio (two done on cardio only days, the other on Full-Body day, two done re 7-mile run); training all done from ~2200 (instead of usual start from ~0430)
Week 2 - four resistance sessions, three days of double cardio (two done on resistance training days, only one done re 7-mile run); day off this week on Tuesday instead of Sunday; training all done from ~0530 (instead of usual start from ~0430)
Week post-cessation of G8 - "easy/deload" week with only three days of resistance training and four days of cardio, only one session of running (normally would do 5-7 runs a week)
Sleeping Patterns
Week 1 - no sleep for 1.5 days and then sleep for almost half a day
Week 2 - slept for 4-5 hours daily, albeit all over the place, falling sleep time INconsistent
Week post-cessation of G8 - with the exception of Monday (where no sleep at all) and Sunday (where slept for ~10 hours), rest of the week sleeping for ~1 hour early in the day and then 3-5 hours later in the day most days, waking with appetite HIGH
Body Statistics
Start pre-use of G8 - 8% bodyfat at 108.4 pounds
End of Week 1 - 8.5% bodyfat at 111 pounds (+0.5% bodyfat; +2.6 pounds body mass: +1.837 pounds lean, +1.763 pounds bodyfat)
End of Week 2 - 9% bodyfat at 113.2 pounds (+0.5% bodyfat; +2.2 pounds body mass: +1.447 pounds lean, +0.753 pounds bodyfat)
End of Week post-cessation of G8 - 8.9% bodyfat at 115.2 pounds (-0.1% bodyfat; +2 pounds body mass: +1.9352 pounds lean, +0.0648 pounds bodyfat)
CONCLUSION
Overall: This is rather difficult for me to do, since G8 DID give me great sleep - when I slept: Deep, UNdisturbed, and restful. BUT, it also severely messed up my sleeping patterns (which, honestly, even though they have had their moments of being on track, have not been the same since I came to the US), which I did not enjoy. And the OTHER effects I experienced, especially re appetite (although this can also be attributed to training heavily and being awake for more than a day many days), I did NOT appreciate (given what my appetite is ALREADY like).
Would I use it again? I actually STOPPED using G8 after two weeks of use because, despite the awesome sleep it gave me, it was (and still is) DRASTICALLY affecting my sleeping patterns, which in turn was having some very UNwanted effects re other factors. So, no, I would not use G8 again myself personally.
Would I recommend? If one is looking for extreme deep and rested sleep, and they have had no issues (like I have) using natural Growth Hormone boosters in the past, then yes, I might recommend G8 (any recommendation/s I made re supplements are based on what will be best for that individual re their goals and needs and other personal factors, etc.).
This review is also available in my training/supplementation journal (post #278) in the Supplement Reviews/Logs subsection of the Supplements Forum: The Female Terminator Chronicles: The Ultimate Muscle and Physique Stack (2012).
