Creatine Loading

[Baron]

And i also learned that humans don't need nearly as much food as most people eat, especially when on a healthy diet.

I know, right? I've been there. You suddenly cut your calories in half of what you used to take in, and you realize that you're just fine and that you're not starving to death, and you actually feel better than ever before. Keep it up!

 

[HobbyTrading]

I'm down 30 pounds since April 1st due to lots of jumping rope , body weight workouts, and a strict diet. I'm pretty lean, but I'd like to get leaner and gain some more muscle mass.

I bought some creatine, and the directions say to load up for the first 3 days of using it. The normal daily dose is 5 grams, but the loading instructions say to take 4 times that amount daily.

I've read some contradictory opinions on loading. Some swear by it, and others say your body can only process one serving per day, and loading is just a waste.

Any opinions?

What made you decide that you want to try out creatine?

 

[jnbadger]

What made you decide that you want to try out creatine?

Just to gain some more muscle mass a little more quickly. I've used it in the past, and it helped quite a bit. I'm pretty lean, but I still have some belly fat which doesn't want to go away. In my experience, creatine will help me do a few more reps of each exercise, which will help burn more calories while gaining a little more muscle definition.

I don't want to get bulky, I just want to be cut. I'm pretty lucky in that respect, as I come from an athletic family, and i have the body type for it. I'm 6' 0", 185 lbs currently. Was 215 lbs April 1st, and was 235 at my peak a couple of years ago. I've really been hitting it hard this year, and I want to keep the momentum going.

I'm 51, and other than when I was in high school football, I'm in the best shape of my life, by far. I feel great, but I want to look better. I'm also trying to show people what is possible at an older age. I have many friends who are over weight, and they say they should diet and work out a little, but they are convinced that being fat at our age is just normal so they don't follow through. Too bad.

 

[jnbadger]

Drink lots of water and recognize headaches may, in a few cases, may be caused by creatine.
Cut back if so....or flush more

I only had one dose yesterday, and I was incredibly thirsty all day. I must have had 10 20oz bottles of water throughout the day. And I still had a bit of a headache when I went to bed.

Excellent point.

 

[HobbyTrading]

Thank you for explaining your motivation for using creatine. Good to hear hat it has a positive effect for you. I've tried it in the past but did not notice any positive effect. So I stopped using it.

In my experience, creatine will help me do a few more reps of each exercise, which will help burn more calories

Don't overestimate the number of calories you burn per rep. Each rep is of a short duration only, so the amount of energy involved is not that large. Lowering carbs from your diet and/or doing more cardio might be more beneficial to get rid of remaining body fat.

 

[HobbyTrading]

I only had one dose yesterday, and I was incredibly thirsty all day. I must have had 10 20oz bottles of water throughout the day. And I still had a bit of a headache when I went to bed.

That is not unexpected. One of the main purposes of creatine is to accumulate more water in your muscles. This make the muscles appear to be larger in volume. Of course does this also come with weight gain. It wouldn't surprise me if your weight goes up by about 5 lbs.

 

[jnbadger]

That is not unexpected. One of the main purposes of creatine is to accumulate more water in your muscles. This make the muscles appear to be larger in volume. Of course does this also come with weight gain. It wouldn't surprise me if your weight goes up by about 5 lbs.

I'm expecting this, as well, since I don't have much fat to lose, and muscle is heavier than fat. Especially with the additional water weight.

 

[eurusdzn]

I only had one dose yesterday, and I was incredibly thirsty all day. I must have had 10 20oz bottles of water throughout the day. And I still had a bit of a headache when I went to bed.

Excellent point.

I haven't the science to back this up but.....i think this falls in the basket of genetics.
Some people , like a backyard pool, have excellent filters to deal with toxins produced by activities. Lifting for us , kiddies swimming for the pool. It is the recovery everyone talks about.
One dose leading to headaches, IMO , tells you something.
Your extra recent efforts leading to awesome results in itself is more than enough.
Lean and mean.

 

[Frederick Foresight]

Like most supplements I take, I will run it for a couple of months, and then move onto something else for a while. I'm about ready to start taking creatine again though as it does seem to be one of those supplements that actually has a noticeable effect.

What happened when you stopped taking it the last time? Apart from water loss, did you lose any of the muscle which the creatine may have helped you put on?

 

[jnbadger]

I haven't the science to back this up but.....i think this falls in the basket of genetics.
Some people , like a backyard pool, have excellent filters to deal with toxins produced by activities. Lifting for us , kiddies swimming for the pool. It is the recovery everyone talks about.
One dose leading to headaches, IMO , tells you something.
Your extra recent efforts leading to awesome results in itself is more than enough.
Lean and mean.

Very possible. I'll see how the next few days go.