Does Creatine Make You Gain Weight (Myth Vs Reality)

Whether your objective is to reduce fat, gain muscle, or maintain weight, weighing in regularly can help you remain on target. Does Creatine Make You Gain Weight?

However, if you get on the scale one day and discover a sudden 5 to 10-pound rise, you may be baffled (or overjoyed, depending on your goal).

Creatine supplementation is one possible reason for fast weight gain. In this article, you’ll learn why creatine might cause weight gain, how much weight people typically gain when using creatine, what it implies for your body and health, and what you can do about it.

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a sports substance that users use to increase their rep count, lift larger weights, and become more explosive. It’s also a naturally occurring substance that your body utilizes to produce energy during exercise.

The amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine are used by your body to make around 1 gram of creatine daily. It is also found in rare steak, which includes 3 grams per pound.

People commonly take 3-5 grams of creatine monohydrate daily, which is the most popular and well-studied type. As a result, after around 4 weeks, their muscles attain creatine saturation levels.

A loading phase is another way to gain faster outcomes with creatine. People take 20-30 grams of creatine daily for a week during the loading period, then a reduced daily dose after that.

Because your body recycles energy through creatine, raising your creatine muscle levels with supplements can improve your performance on short-burst, heavy, or explosive exercises. Creatine’s strength effects might also help you gain lean muscle mass. Lifting heavier allows you to grow muscle quicker – it’s as simple as that.

Does Creatine Make You Gain Weight? Why?

The quick answer is that creatine can cause weight gain. Studies show that taking creatine can help you gain weight quickly, especially if you employ a loading phase. A 2003 research, for example, discovered that after 30 days of high-dose creatine supplementation, individuals gained an average of 3.75 pounds.

A more recent 2016 study found that 7 days of creatine loading resulted in an average weight increase of 2.2 pounds in teenage soccer players. However, most weight increase in both trials (and similar creatine research) is due to water retention.

If you’re concerned about fat growth, the fact that most creatine weight increase comes from water is excellent news. If your aim is hypertrophy, you may be slightly dismayed to hear that you did not gain 5 pounds of lean muscle mass overnight.

Most individuals, though, don’t mind either way — unless you’re a weight-class athlete who must maintain a set weight. Continue reading to learn about the effects of creatine weight gain on your body objectives!

Does Creatine Make You Fat?

If you’re in the middle of a fat-loss phase and start taking creatine, you could be surprised by the abrupt weight increase that occurs. The good news is that creatine does not cause fat accumulation. Any quick weight gain you encounter on creatine is almost certainly water weight gain.

Numerous studies suggest that short-term creatine administration increases water weight but not body fat. There are no drawbacks to taking creatine if your objective is to lose weight because it does not contain useable calories and does not appear to interfere with your body’s capacity to burn fat.

And, because creatine improves lifting performance and lifting weights while losing fat is suitable for your body composition, using creatine to lift bigger weights while losing fat is a fantastic idea. If adding more pounds makes you nervous, don’t skip the part below under ” When You Gain Weight on Creatine.”

Creatine and Water Retention or Bloat

Because creatine is osmotic, it can occasionally induce water retention. In other words, increasing your body’s creatine levels allows the creatine to draw in more water. Furthermore, research reveals that creatine supplementation increases intracellular and extracellular water, so water levels within and outside your cells grow.

More water inside cells may improve your appearance by making you appear more muscular or “larger.” Extracellular water (the water outside your cells), on the other hand, may cause minor “bloating” effects that appear to be fat growth. Furthermore, you may have heard from fitness experts that creatine pills do not induce bloating, but this is not true.

Most research indicates that creatine can enhance total water retention, and at least one study found an increase in extracellular water but not intracellular water. Bottom line: Creatine occasionally, but not usually, causes water weight increase, which can make you appear more muscular, bloated, or both. It differs from person to person.

Creatine for Gaining Muscle Weight

Creatine is one of the most excellent muscle-building supplements for the reasons stated above. Any quick weight increase after starting creatine, on the other hand, is unlikely to come from lean muscle growth.

Your physique may seem more muscular if you undergo intracellular water retention while taking creatine. However, studies show that supplementing with creatine for a few days to a month is unlikely to result in significant, rapid improvements in lean muscle growth. Keep in mind that creatine works primarily to increase muscle growth by improving your performance in the gym.

While adding a few extra reps to your heavy sets may surely pay off in the long run, it will not add 5-10 pounds of muscle in the following few weeks.

What to Do If You Gain Weight on Creatine

When you gain water weight while taking creatine, you know it’s working. Aside from the psychological impact of gaining weight or any modest changes in your look, creatine water retention is safe. As a result, the most significant thing you can do is nothing – if at all possible, avoid worrying about it. Continue to eat correctly and work out hard; creatine will benefit you.

Even if you continue to utilize creatine, your body may be able to eliminate the extra water weight on its own. Homeostasis allows our bodies to balance out over time naturally. But what if the rise in water weight scares you, or if you’re planning a beach vacation and don’t want to seem bloated? Take a break from creatine.

Your body naturally breaks down and discharges roughly 1-2% of its creatine stockpiles daily, so even if your muscles are completely saturated, you should be back to baseline within a month, if not sooner. And, thankfully, if you don’t fill it or take a smaller amount than previously, you’re less likely to develop water retention.

“Potentially, the increased total body water associated with creatine supplementation does not occur with low dosages of creatine consumption,” according to a 2017 study studying the effects of low-dose, short-term creatine supplementation.

To summarize, if creatine bloat is causing you problems, take a month off, then try resuming without loading and potentially at a lesser dose (3-5 grams per day at most).

While creatine water retention is not dangerous, you should consult a doctor if you are worried about recent fast weight gain, especially if you are having additional symptoms, taking medication, or have a medical condition.

Creatine Safety, Side Effects

Creatine, like whey protein, is one of the market’s most well-researched and well-studied products. Extensive research has revealed that creatine is virtually universally safe, with no significant adverse effects in babies or the elderly. Furthermore, even mega-doses of 30 grams per day are probably safe for healthy persons for at least 5 years.

An upset stomach or other gastrointestinal problems are a somewhat typical yet modest adverse effect of creatine. Like creatine bloating, the chances are that creatine’s osmotic actions cause these digestive symptoms. If you have stomach problems after using creatine, consider the following remedies:

• Instead of one large dose, take several doses throughout the day.
• First, dissolve it in boiling water.
• Change to a micronized (finely ground) creatine brand.
• Instead of loading with large amounts, take 3-5 grams every day.

That’s all. Creatine supplementation has no adverse effects other than bloating or a minor upset stomach. Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, creatine does not induce hair loss.

So who should take creatine?

Anyone who wants to build lean muscle or improve their fitness should consider the cost-benefit ratio carefully. You can benefit even if you wish to avoid gaining muscle, increasing your physical performance, or not exercising.

According to a study, creatine may help protect against traumatic brain injury, reduce the effects of stress and sleep deprivation, and improve mental performance. We’re not saying you should take creatine, but if you’re already supplementing, there’s a decent chance creatine has more scientific backing than what you’re currently taking. Consider the following:

The Bottom Line

Creatine will not make you obese, will not add 10 pounds of quick muscle to your frame, and will most likely not cause you to become bald. Creatine will improve your gym performance, allow you to grow more muscular mass, and improve your brain health and mental function. It may or may not cause you to acquire a few pounds of water weight, giving you a more muscular or somewhat bloated appearance. You won’t know unless you try it, and if the water weight bothers you, you may take a break before returning to creatine at a reduced daily dose. In any case, the chances are that no one will notice except you.