Creatine and aesthetics, does it help or hurt, is it worth it? ...
JstTheWayIam
Posts: 6,357 Member
I think I'm going to discontinue creatine...
Benefits: I suspect that once I stop taking it, I'll lose like 10lbs of extra water, look thinner and leaner and feel better.
Drawbacks: Concerned I'll lose strength and size
Not sure its worth it to supplement anyway, if I already get enough, then it's just causing unnecessary water retention...
Your experience is appreciated...
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It depends what type of creatine you are on. Monohydrate will yes make you hold onto wate, but there are other forms out there. Right nowI'm on krealkaline by truathlete I saw strength gains and little water retention. I would also look at your preworkout it may have some creatine in there as well.2
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Why would you stop taking creatine, especially monohydrate? Pure form has only benefits, even not training at all it would still be beneficial..... just my 2 cents!2
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JstTheWayIam wrote: »I think I'm going to discontinue creatine...
Benefits: I suspect that once I stop taking it, I'll lose like 10lbs of extra water, look thinner and leaner and feel better.
Drawbacks: Concerned I'll lose strength and size
Not sure its worth it to supplement anyway, if I already get enough, then it's just causing unnecessary water retention...
Your experience is appreciated...
It wouldn't be 10 lbs of water. If anything it's 2 to 5 and it's intra-cellular water, so your muscles actually might look more flat. You shouldn't lose anything strength, but your future gains may not improve as fast. And it's pretty much impossible to get 5g of creatine in your diet alone. And to get there, it would cost a hell of a lot. But you can stop it if you want. But switching away from monohydrate to another creatine would just be inferior.7 -
There are mental gains in creatine also.....like increased focus. It is so cheap, I don't see why you would discontinue using it!0
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There really isn't as much water retention with creatine as people tbink there is. It's a great supplement, the most tested there is. You won't notice much difference when you hop off besides the minute loss in fulness and some strength loss.1
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I think number one importance for gains is real food...supplements aren't crucial when your diet is perfect. Organic beef, bison, turkey, eggs, avocados, sweet potatoes, etc. I have seen better muscle definition, size and fullness in the last year without supplements than ever. Grocery bill was crazy, but the change in my physique was worth it. Only now when I am leaning down for show am I back on a protein shake per day and bcaas since I had to cut my food calories down.2
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I wouldn't stop creatine unless your just cycling it. It does hold water, but that water is being used within the muscle, not between your skin and fat! It will make you look leaner.1
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Thanks all for the advice, I appreciate it...
The beauty is, if I cycle off and are unhappy with the results... I can always pick it back up...
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Update on my creatine experiment:
I've been off creatine for about 2 weeks now...
- I have not seen any weight-loss
- Do not appear to have lost any strength
- Don't believe that I've lost any noticeable size
- I'm pinching <6mm on a suprailiac test, down from 7mm
So while I have not lost any weight, I have potentially lost some fat, although I'm still within the margin of error really...
Trying to get more definition in my core... Only 2 ways to do this, lose fat and build your core. However if I'm already pinching less than 6mm, this puts me at <10%.
Once you get this low its supposedly nearly impossible to burn fat and build muscle... So I have to choose apparently.
Its disheartening to see how loose skin can sap your core definition... Going to keep moving forward because I simply will never quit, just wish I saw more for my efforts... I ain't going to be humble, I work my *kitten* off and eat very clean but not ready to give up the 2 or 3 glasses of wine I have on the weekends...
Thanks for all the support!2 -
I'm a bit confused on your goals. You posted this in the gaining weight/bodybuilding section, but you are actually working on losing weight? You say you work hard and eat clean, but those are sort of vague things. The skin fold measurement wasn't impacted by creatine.
I've found keeping creatine in my diet helps with muscle fullness (including abs).0 -
I'm a bit confused on your goals. You posted this in the gaining weight/bodybuilding section, but you are actually working on losing weight? You say you work hard and eat clean, but those are sort of vague things. The skin fold measurement wasn't impacted by creatine.
I've found keeping creatine in my diet helps with muscle fullness (including abs).
You're so right, truth is I'm confused on my goals too lol0 -
JstTheWayIam wrote: »I'm a bit confused on your goals. You posted this in the gaining weight/bodybuilding section, but you are actually working on losing weight? You say you work hard and eat clean, but those are sort of vague things. The skin fold measurement wasn't impacted by creatine.
I've found keeping creatine in my diet helps with muscle fullness (including abs).
You're so right, truth is I'm confused on my goals too lol
Okay, so start with the facts and determine the best place to go from there. What's your height, weight, approximate body fat, and ultimate goal?0 -
Sups are (suprisingly) controversial - people get wound up about certain ones, but, IMHO is there is one supplement which is a no-brainer it's creatine.
No significant negatives, plenty of positives and it's cheap.
If I could only have one supplement it would be creatine monohydrate.4 -
I stopped taking creatine about 4 wks ago after taking it daily for 8 months.
Have not noticed any weight gain, loss of strength or any change in muscle definition or physique.
So, at least for me, it apparently makes no difference if I take it or not.1 -
I stopped taking creatine about 4 wks ago after taking it daily for 8 months.
Have not noticed any weight gain, loss of strength or any change in muscle definition or physique.
So, at least for me, it apparently makes no difference if I take it or not.
I noticed the same. I may be a non responder but I never noticed any benefits, even when I came off it nothing dropped or changed.0 -
If I was taking part in a creatine clinical trial I would have sworn I was being given the placebo.....
No difference noted either positive or negative for me.
Worth trying as it's inexpensive but individual responses are just that, individual.0 -
Not sure if the 1mm suprailiac loss is due to the discontinuation of the creatine...
I know creatine is supposed to draw more water into just the muscle... But do we really know for sure that it won't cause you to hold extra water between Skinfolds as well?
I don't think anyone can say with a 100% certainty... Although I have pinched the same before while on creatine...
Not sure if I will go back on it or not, may wait another week then reevaluate...0 -
I'm not a big creatine guy. Does it work? Depends on person. I know guys who works great or they think it does and others who said no difference at all. I think the psychological benefit at the beginning is what makes it so popular. For me it didn't help or hurt1
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While this is purely theoretical, i suspect the reason most done notice gains from creatine is a lot of people take is while they are still relatively new to lifting... a time period in which huge cns adaptations occur. So its hard to credit the lifter or the supplement. Its one reason i dont plan on take it until my gains hault. Because of all things, this is the most proven supplement. But it mainly supports squeaking out a few more reps or even a set.1
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I stopped taking creatine about 4 wks ago after taking it daily for 8 months.
Have not noticed any weight gain, loss of strength or any change in muscle definition or physique.
So, at least for me, it apparently makes no difference if I take it or not.
Why would you expect to see those types of differences, when you consider what creatine is supposed to do, draw water into your muscles to allow a extra rep or so, meaning more muscle stressing mean more muscle buildup. So going off it primarily would affect the rate of increase your lifts go compared to without it.2 -
Don't forget you should really cycle creatine as you can only store so much in your muscle, I do 4 weeks of 5g a day and 4 weeks off it.0
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gninja2022 wrote: »Don't forget you should really cycle creatine as you can only store so much in your muscle, I do 4 weeks of 5g a day and 4 weeks off it.
No, no you shouldn't cycle creatine. There is no scientific evidence, that I'm aware of, that you accomplish anything by cycling creatine, as opposed to just taking the typical daily dose of 5g. The only somewhat related methodology is to take 10-20g a day for a week or two in order to saturate your body with creatine more quickly. But you can take 5g/day and it'll just take a bit longer to saturate your system.1 -
gninja2022 wrote: »Don't forget you should really cycle creatine as you can only store so much in your muscle, I do 4 weeks of 5g a day and 4 weeks off it.
This defeats the whole purpose of creatine. It's a muscle saturate and takes several weeks to hut optimal saturation levels.1 -
gninja2022 wrote: »Don't forget you should really cycle creatine as you can only store so much in your muscle, I do 4 weeks of 5g a day and 4 weeks off it.
No, no you shouldn't cycle creatine. There is no scientific evidence, that I'm aware of, that you accomplish anything by cycling creatine, as opposed to just taking the typical daily dose of 5g. The only somewhat related methodology is to take 10-20g a day for a week or two in order to saturate your body with creatine more quickly. But you can take 5g/day and it'll just take a bit longer to saturate your system.
So for me if I continue to take creatine at 5g per day consistently I have an increased water retention and I have to balance it. I see this with other people also. Are you bodybuilding as well and using this as a sup, keen to understand your approach if you don't have fluid issues.0 -
gninja2022 wrote: »Don't forget you should really cycle creatine as you can only store so much in your muscle, I do 4 weeks of 5g a day and 4 weeks off it.
This defeats the whole purpose of creatine. It's a muscle saturate and takes several weeks to hut optimal saturation levels.
You are right and wrong. Saturation yes, but for shorter periods due to possible effects. If you are young 100% healthy then you can advise them to take a consistent high dosage, but not everyone on here is like that so have caution with your advice.
Your kidneys have to clean all creatine from your system and your loading then with all this additional waste creatine is bad.
Humans carry about two grams of creatine per kilogram of lean muscle mass (one gram per pound). The maximum we can put into muscles is about 3g/kg (1.4g/lb)[47]. To hit this level, a 70kg male would need about 25 grams of creatine supplementation. We only use about 2g per day.
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gninja2022 wrote: »gninja2022 wrote: »Don't forget you should really cycle creatine as you can only store so much in your muscle, I do 4 weeks of 5g a day and 4 weeks off it.
This defeats the whole purpose of creatine. It's a muscle saturate and takes several weeks to hut optimal saturation levels.
You are right and wrong. Saturation yes, but for shorter periods due to possible effects. If you are young 100% healthy then you can advise them to take a consistent high dosage, but not everyone on here is like that so have caution with your advice.
Your kidneys have to clean all creatine from your system and your loading then with all this additional waste creatine is bad.
Humans carry about two grams of creatine per kilogram of lean muscle mass (one gram per pound). The maximum we can put into muscles is about 3g/kg (1.4g/lb)[47]. To hit this level, a 70kg male would need about 25 grams of creatine supplementation. We only use about 2g per day.
Where are you getting this stuff? Creatine has been shown to be safe. Even if you load, you should only load for 1-2 weeks. Optimal dosesge us 5g per day, which can't be achieved with diet alone.2 -
Do your own research then have a grown up conversation chap. https://academic.oup.com/ckj/article/4/1/23/376016 as an example , is the earth flat as well?0
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gninja2022 wrote: »Do your own research then have a grown up conversation chap. https://academic.oup.com/ckj/article/4/1/23/376016 as an example , is the earth flat as well?
Okay, so one person had a bad reaction... it does not mean that reaction can be extrapolated to rest of the general population - esp. given the vast numbers of routine users.1 -
Here's a source of some good information on creatine
https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/
Lots of studies linked, it can be used indefinitely, cycling on/off isn't required.
Summary from the section about interaction with kidneys.....
"Moreover, numerous scientific reviews on both the long- and short-term safety of supplemental creatine have consistently found no adverse effects on kidney function in a wide range of doses."0
https://youtu.be/TeMBICIitZk
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