GNC Shopping experience. | Eating 101 | Forum

I went to GNC this weekend.  I haven't been there in years.  I needed maltodextron, BCAAs, creatine.

I also wanted to look at their multivitamins and their whey protein powders.  With regards to protein powder, I want something that has a good array of branched-chain amino acids of whey protein (for good absorption), but I don't want added creatine, BCAAs, artificial colors and flavors, and artificial sweeteners.  I like to add my own fillers, so that I know the true potency and quantity of these other items.

I left with only creatine, and even it was too expensive.   My local Walmart quit carrying creatine monohydrate.  Our GNC doesn't  carry maltodextron.  The cheap whey protein was a more expensive version of Walmart's brand.  The vitamins were sky high.  The BCAAs were outrageous.

Can anyone suggest one source, online that may have all these items, or at least some of them?  Brands I can trust at a good price.  I live near a small city in an, otherwise, rural area.  I don't have alot of retail choices.

I've bought the following items from an online source in the past, but I can't remember how I got the link or the website.  I guess I should have kept it in favorites:

Maltodextron

Dextrose

Whey protein

BCAAs

Glutamine

At that time, I bought a generic vitamin and creatine from Walmart.

I think this time around I'm going to skip the dextrose and glutamine, but I'm definitely going to shop for a good vitamin and antioxidant.  I've got a couple of links from Cameron for these two items.  I'd like to find one good source for all of these, but it's not absolutely necessary.

I think that my local GNC doesn't carry the vast array that most carry.  I live in redneckville, and there is not a huge demand for items used by serious enthusiasts.  They sell mostly miracle, diet stuff and the most commercially-acclaimed miracle, muscle builder powders. 

I prefer powders for drink mixes, but I like pills or capsules for general health products, so I can easily transport them and take them at different times during the day, like I do fish oil.  I've written down "Rainbow Light", DotFix, and Double X.

I found the website that the book, "Scrawny to Brawny" helps sponsor (Precision Nutrition).  They provide a link to a website (http://www.trueprotein.com).  True Protein has hydrolyzed protein, maltodextron, dextrose, BCAAs, and glutamine (the exact ingredients prescribed as a recovery drink).  They have these at fairly reasonable prices.  I can get about a three month supply for about $110.

They even allow you to customize your mix at a reasonable price.  For instance, I can build a mix that is 25% hydrolzyed whey; 35% maltodextron; 35% dextrose; 5% BCAAs; and 5% glutamine.  The only item missing from the book is phynelanline.  They have that as well, but I'm not sure if that is worth taking.  I think, however, I'll just mix my own, because I'm not sure I trust them to put everything in there.  Besides, I'm not sure if 5% of the aminos is the right balance.  The book prescribes so many grams per 12oz drink.

They even have creatine monohydrate for $7.99 per pound.  Their packaging is in bags, which adds to their legitimacy in my book.

No vitamins though, except for specific vitamins.

Has anyone heard or used True Protein?

Has anyone heard of Precision Nutrition as an information source?

Complete Nutrition isn't too bad either.

Thanks for the feedback.  Yeah Darrin, John actually has some sticky threads on this website.

If I type http://www.scrawnytobrawny.com in my address bar; then log in to their website, it redirects me to http://www.precisionnutrition.com.  I then scroll down and find their FAQs that are specific to supplements.

This is where the FAQ recommends two websites for supplements (trueprotein and proteinfactory).  I shopped at both websites, but the latter doesn't have many products in powder or granule form.

I'll look at Complete Nutrition, and then decide. 

My biggest beef is that both maltodextron and dextrose are dirt cheap products, but to buy them like a baker would, you need to buy 100 lbs or so (minimum).  The bodybuilding industry buy these in bulk; repackages these dirt-cheap products; and resale them at about 500% profit.

If I go with trueprotein, I'll probably have them premix the two sugars and hydrolyzed whey, and then buy the aminos separately.  I don't want to overdo the BCAAs or glutamine, because they compete with other aminos in my body and could make me deficient in another that I need.  "Scrawny to Brawny" warns of this scenario.