How Creatine Affects Weight Loss
Creatine is one of the most widely used sports supplements among athletes and bodybuilders. But what effect does creatine have on weight loss? Can this popular supplement actually help you lose weight?
What is Creatine?
Creatine is an organic compound that is naturally produced in the human body to supply energy to muscles and nerve cells. It is also found in many foods, particularly meat and fish.
As a dietary supplement, creatine has been extensively studied for its ability to improve exercise performance and increase muscle mass when combined with resistance training.
How Creatine Works
When you take creatine supplements, the creatine gets stored in your muscles and serves as an extra energy source during intense exercise. This can help you perform better during high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts and lift heavier weights.
The extra energy from creatine also signals your body to build more muscle. Over time, adding more muscle raises your resting metabolism so you burn slightly more calories around the clock.
Can Creatine Promote Weight Loss?
At first glance, creatine seems counterproductive for weight loss. After all, this supplement boosts strength gains and muscle growth.
However, the water weight gain from creatine is only temporary. And building more metabolism-boosting muscle can indirectly support long-term weight loss.
Creatine Causes Temporary Water Weight Gain
When starting creatine, its normal to gain 35 pounds of water weight in the first 12 weeks. This happens because creatine pulls water into your muscle cells.
While frustrating, this weight gain is only temporary. Its also mostly water rather than fat. After the loading phase when water weight peaks, the number on the scale should reverse and steadily drop with continued use.
Creatine Supports Muscle Growth
Its well proven that creatine increases muscle mass and strength gains when combined with resistance training, compared to training alone. This muscle-building effect can be especially prominent during the starting weeks of a new training program.
In one study, male weightlifters taking creatine for 4 weeks increased their bench press weights by 15% more than the placebo group. The creatine group also increased their quadriceps muscle mass by 4 pounds (1.8 kg) more than the control group.
More Muscle Raises Your Metabolism
Having more muscle positively impacts your metabolism in multiple ways. Pound for pound, muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue. So gaining several pounds of muscle from creatine can account for burning dozens more calories daily.
The process of building new muscle from protein synthesis also requires a lot of energy, further boosting your calorie burn. The metabolic benefits of more muscle mass persist even during rest.
Additional Fat Loss Benefits
Besides boosting calorie burn through increased muscle, creatine offers additional weight loss benefits:
Supports High-Intensity Interval Training
HIIT workouts combine short bursts of intense cardio and strength moves with rest periods. Creatine improves performance during these demanding intermittent sets.
Being able to ramp up your intensity or lift heavier translates to burning more calories per minute. Over an entire HIIT workout, the extra energy from creatine can tally up to an additional 80100 calories torched.
Lean Muscle Retention While Cutting Calories
Sticking to a reduced-calorie diet often means losing some muscle along with body fat. Creatine supplements help counteract muscle loss when cutting weight by providing muscles an energy source even in the face of calorie deficit.
Preventing muscle breakdown allows you to lose purely fat, enabling a tighter, leaner physique after weight loss.
Improved Recovery Between Workouts
Creatine assists with quicker recovery following resistance training sessions. Youre then able to bounce back faster for your next HIIT class or strength workout.
Better workout recovery is key for making progress with fat burning interval training and building calorie-torching muscle.
Who Can Benefit from Creatine for Weight Loss?
Active individuals who combine creatine supplements with consistent HIIT workouts and strength training stand to benefit the most for weight loss results. Both men and women can use creatine for supporting fat loss efforts.
Healthy Adults
For healthy active adults without underlying medical conditions, creatine is considered safe for long-term use at recommended dosages. Using creatine to enhance gym workouts can help boost your metabolism to drop body fat percentage.
Weightlifters
Creatine is highly popular with powerlifters and competitive weightlifters looking to gain strength and muscle mass fast. While aiming for muscle growth over weight loss, dropping body fat also typically occurs indirectly.
Athletes in Training
Whether training for a marathon or getting ready for beach volleyball season, combining creatine with HIIT workouts is advantageous. Creatine assists athletes in better utilizing carb-based fuels during intense aerobic efforts.
Is Creatine Safe?
For most healthy individuals, creatine is considered very safe at recommended dosages up to 5 grams per day. The majority of studies show no dangerous side effects, even with long-term daily use for up to 5 years.
However, there are a few groups who should consult a doctor before starting creatine:
- People with kidney conditions
- Individuals with liver disorders
- Anyone currently taking blood sugar or blood pressure medications
Bottom Line
While creatine is best known for boosting strength and muscle mass, it offers promising effects for weight loss too. The metabolic benefits of gaining lean muscle paired with improved gym performance work together to trim off body fat. Plus, creatine assists with retaining muscle when cutting calories.FAQs
Does creatine make you gain weight?
When you first start taking creatine, it’s common to rapidly gain around 3-5 pounds in the first couple weeks. But this is primarily due to water retention within your muscles, not fat gain. Once your muscles are saturated, this number on the scale evens back out.
Is creatine good for cutting fat?
Yes, creatine offers several weight loss benefits. It boosts your metabolism by helping build calorie-burning muscle. Creatine also improves workout performance so you can push harder during fat-burning HIIT training. It helps preserve lean muscle mass when eating in a calorie deficit.
When should you take creatine to lose weight?
The best time to supplement with creatine for weight loss goals is right before your workout. Taking it about 30 minutes prior provides your muscles the quick energy needed to get more from gym sessions focused on burning fat and building metabolically active muscle.
Who should avoid creatine?
Creatine is generally safe for healthy adults at proper dosages. But people with kidney or liver conditions should be cautious and check with their doctor first. Creatine is also not recommended for children or teens under 18 since not enough studies have evaluated the effects in adolescents.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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