Creatine and wieghtloss

B

betty77

0
Hello all,

I need to lose about another 15 lbs and I was wondering if you thought that if I was to take creatine for a period of about 6 weeks and work out 5 times a week mixing aerobic workouts and weights would this help me lose wieght in the long run by helping me build more muscle mass?
I am a 28 year old woman and I don't eat meat so I find it hard to get enough protein in my diet and feel I lack the energy to work as hard as I would like at the gym. The result is that I have hit a plateau with my wieghtloss. I understand the creatine will make you gain initally as it makes you retain water but in the long run will it help with weightloss?
Many thanks,

Betty
 
Hope this helps?

:) Do you know your body fat percentage? That is important, to know all the numbers... When you want to loose 15 pounds it seems easy enough to say But it is the hardest thing, besides pulling teeth and childbirth, that you can do in your life. You can visit my blogs for other web sites to check out about loosing that extra weight. A really good advise giver is trainer Lynn. She knows her ins and outs to weight lose. Even the tough fat back problem that I have. Oh, remember the most thing you want to go first, will be the last. Be patient, cut back calories, work your butt off and believe in your self!
 
Thanks for the kind words, arosenoble. :)


Betty77... I am not a fan of supplements... however creatine is not the worst thing around. So I am not going to spout my usual supplement speech. :)

I am a vegetarian as well. And I can assure you that it is possible to eat enough protein without eating animal meat. The lack of energy you feel is not from lack of animal. It is lack of nutrients/vitamins/fuel.

I think your post has a really good lesson for a lot of people... actually it has a few really nice lessons.

1) Be patient. It's a process.
2) Weight will increase at first- but weight is mostly a useless number
3) Build muscle to reduce body fat

Kudos to you on those points! I regularly post 5 tips to fat loss on the boards here. Maybe they will help jump start you :) Here they are...

1) Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Each meal should be 2-3 hours apart. Each meal should contain one protein and one carb. The first meal should be eaten within an hour after waking.


2) Drink a cup of water at each meal.


3) Rest properly. This means taking at least 48 hours between strength training the same muscles, and it also means getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Lastly, it means taking 1-2 days off from exercising per week.


4) Cardio. This should be done at different intensity levels and different session lengths. Consider doing a low intensity/long session, a high intensity/short session and a few medium intensity/medium length sessions.


5) Strength Training. Strength train each muscle 1-3 times per week. You should lift a proper weight and perform the proper amount of sets/reps for your strength training method. If you need more guidance or exercise ideas you can head over


All of the above things combined will result in fat loss. Best of luck!
 
Firstly, LV - congrats on your 1000 posts man ;)

As for creatine and weight loss, I am of a different opinion. I take creatine regularly and I am still dropping bodyfat. I gained a little water weight to begin with but, I'm more concerned about what I see in the mirror that the numbers on the scale. For me, its not been a problem but, its not a fat/weight loss supplement in itself, its just creatine. Its everything else that will help you lose the weight, the creatine will give you a little more endurance and strength on the weights.
 
Creatine is overhyped. Your body can only store so much creatine. The purpose of stacking is to get it to saturate with creatine. But even when you fully saturate it, it probably can only help so much. What I suggest is a protein shake mixed with creatine before your workout. From time to time take out creatine and just have a protein shake alone. They offer soy protein at GNC, and whey, switch between those two since whey is a little high in cholestrol. Drink a protein shake 30 minutes before your workout.

What a lot of people don't undestand is that you also need some carbs to lose weight. So eat some carbs 30 minutes after your workout.

Also creatine is known to cause water retention.... so you might not lose weight like you want.
 
Creatine is not a bad supplement, but I personally don't think you need it.

I think it would be more beneficial to look at your diet overall. In reality you can get everything you need just from whole foods. What are your protein sources right now? Egg whites, cottage cheese and whey protein are all excellent choices for vegetarians, as well as tofu of course. What are your carb sources? Good complex carbs like brown rice, sweet potatoes, and whole grain are important. Are you sure you're eating enough total calories? A lack of calories can cause your energy to be low.

Sarah
 
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