Stuck @ 220

b) Is it possible that the creatine I've been taking is making me hold water or otherwise gain overall weight? I sure don't like that there's 70G of sugar with the dose, but I am accounting for that and am careful when I take it.

Yes, creatine is used to enhance performance and size, and it does this primarily with water. You may want to stop taking it until you lose your goal amount of weight. What is the reason for you taking it at this time?

Creatine is used to increase energy stores in the muscle cells during high intensity training, based on the CP-ATP energy systems used in short-burst activities (Sprinting, Weight lifting etc).

In other words, if you're supplementing with Creatine, you should be able to push out an extra 1-2 reps at a given weight and thus train harder for more gains.

The gains associated only come if you're actually doing the work and shouldn't be connected to any water weight retention or sugar.

I supplement with Creatine in my post workout shakes, and there is no sugar content at all, chalking in a 1 calorie/ gram (5g daily serving). I also find that I am able to increase my loads with each training session more than I have without supplementation, but that all comes down to training with max effort each time. If you're not training hard in your weight routines, you don't get any specific benefit from supplementing with it.

I would suggest you check the source that you're using as there shouldn't be a high sugar or calorie content that goes along with it at all. 70G of sugar with the dose is 280 calories so there's definitely something wrong there with the type you're using. It shouldn't be anything more than 1 tsp of a simple power mixed in with water or a protein shake.

It's also been proven to be less effective when taken with citrus based juices.

Step 1: Lose the excess fat

Step 2: Once you have a blank(ish) canvas, gain muscle mass


And "blah blah" to those that say "gaining muscle burns more fat!". Just doesn't work logically for me. A lot of the practices involved in muscle gain are counter-productive to the practices of weight loss. Do one, when happy, do the other.

I mean, work it out... 220lbs, high intensity exercises totalling 850-2500 calories a day, five and sometimes six days a week... and averaging about 1800 calories intake... it just seems like I should have seen more dramatic results.

If you are eating 1800 cals and burning 850-2500 it is as if you are eating far too little calories. 1800 on days you burn 2500 would put you at negative calories. You should be eating 1800 calories plus the calories you burn through exercise, MFP already puts you in a caloric deficit at 1800. if you chose 2 lbs per week you are already at a 1000 cal deficit and if you exercise it increases that deficit on days you burn 2000 cals you would be at a 3000 cal deficit (much too large over time and can cause serious side effects, not to mention plateaus)

Please eat more, much more. I weight 145 and eat 1900 cals/day just to maintain. Let the MFP program work, give it a try for a few months and see how it works for you. This does mean on some days you may need to eat 3000-4000 cals.

So when the boys have a plate of chicken wings tonight.... join in, is what you're saying! haha....

Oh man, according to the food and exercise plan I laid out today (that is if you trust all the calorie information) I need to eat *another* 3200 calories worth of food before I go to bed. Don't think I can do that...

That is the way MFP is set up and it works. You may want to start by eating half of your exercise calories. How do you calculate calories burned? you should invest in a HRM and take that number and back out the calories you would have burned if you didn't workout during that time. Calories counters calculate total caloric burn not extra calories burned therefore your maintenance calories would be double counted just entering in what MFP, the machine or your HRM shows.

At your size you you probably burn about 2 clas per minute at rest. so in an hour long workout you may burn 1000 calories but you would have to back out 120 (60min times 2 cals/min) and enter 880 into MFP and eat those cals. on your 2500 cal days if you workout for 2 hours you would have to back out 240 cals and eat and extra 2260 (2500-240) for a total of 4060 calories. This only works if you are calculating calories burned and consumed accurately. The other option is to eat back 50%-75% of the calories burned so if you burn 2500 cals eat and extra 1200 to 1800 for a total of 3000 to 3600 for the day.

Step 1: Lose the excess fat

Step 2: Once you have a blank(ish) canvas, gain muscle mass


And "blah blah" to those that say "gaining muscle burns more fat!". Just doesn't work logically for me. A lot of the practices involved in muscle gain are counter-productive to the practices of weight loss. Do one, when happy, do the other.

Agreed! And... I like your style, haha