Creatine does not help you lose weight. In fact, creatine may actually increase your weight. This is because supplementing with creatine triggers your body to store more water in your muscles. This contributes to fuller-looking muscles, but it can also add 5–7 pounds (2–3 kilos) to your body weight. While creatine can help give you more energy and encourages the growth of lean muscle mass, it will artificially raise your weight by increasing water retention.
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Why Does Creatine Cause You to Gain Weight?
Studies have shown that taking a creatine supplement causes your body to store additional water in your muscles. Adding creatine supplementation to your routine will cause you to gain 5–7 pounds (2–3 kilos) of water weight. This is not the same as gaining fat or muscle mass. In fact, one of the things you can expect when you stop taking creatine is that you will quickly lose this additional water weight.
- Creatine is scientifically proven to increase the amount of water stored in your muscles.
- Using a creatine monohydrate supplement will add 5–7 pounds (2–3 kilos) of water weight to your total weight.
- The stored water caused by creatine can make your muscles look bigger, but can also make your stomach look larger.
- Quitting creatine will trigger you to lose this water weight.
Creatine increases stored water in the muscles, which improves performance and hydration. It also makes your muscles and belly look larger than usual. So, if you’re looking to lose weight or develop a defined physique, creatine supplementation will impede your goals.
Does Creatine Burn Belly Fat?
Creatine does not increase your ability to burn belly fat. Creatine is not a fat-burner and does not increase your metabolic rate. When you are taking creatine, the amount of fat you lose or gain depends on your diet and exercise level.
- Creatine does not burn belly fat or trigger increased fat loss.
- When taking creatine, fat loss is dependent on your diet and exercise program.
- Creatine does provide increased muscular energy and strength, which makes it a great supplement if you are following a muscle-building workout program.
Although adding a few grams of creatine per day to your diet will not kick-start fat-burning, creatine does have benefits. Not only does creatine provide a bit more muscular energy, but it also increases your strength by up to 8%, according to this summary of scientific studies. So, creatine can help you train harder. Typically, however, creatine is best for strength training and increasing muscle mass. It is not a common part of a weight loss program.
Does Creatine Make Your Belly Bigger?
Creatine will make your belly appear larger. This is because creatine causes additional water to be stored in your muscles. Creatine users typically experience a slightly bloated look and feel to their stomach due to stored water in the abdominal muscles. So, creatine will contribute to a bigger belly.
- Taking creatine will often cause your stomach to look and feel slightly larger.
- The larger belly due to creatine is caused by water stored in your abdominal muscles.
- Bloat from creatine does not mean you are gaining fat.
It’s important to remember that a larger belly caused by taking creatine dietary supplements does not necessarily mean you are gaining fat. Whether or not you gain fat while taking creatine depends on what you eat and how much you exercise. As long as you are burning more calories than you consume, you will lose fat. Creatine can make your belly look larger even when you are losing fat, however.
Will You Look Leaner if You Stop Taking Creatine?
Once you quit taking creatine, you will look leaner and more toned. As the creatine stores in your body deplete, your muscle cells will store less water. You will lose 5–7 pounds (2–3 kilos) of water weight. Your muscles will look slightly smaller but they will be more defined. Any creatine-caused stomach bloat will also dissipate once you stop taking the supplement.
- Quitting creatine will flush out water weight, leading to a leaner, toned appearance.
- Once you stop taking creatine, your belly size should decrease as well.
- You will not lose any muscle or fat when you quit creatine.
Quitting creatine will not cause you to lose any of the skeletal muscle or fat you have. It will simply cause you to drop excess water weight caused by creatine supplementation. If you are unsure whether you are gaining fat or if creatine is simply causing you to store excess water, quit taking the supplement. This can help you get a clearer picture of your physique.
How Long Does it Take to Lose Water Weight From Creatine?
You will notice a decrease in water weight within the first few days after stopping creatine supplementation. By the end of the first week, you can expect to lose several pounds (2 kilos or more) of water weight.
- Water weight loss occurs within 1 week after stopping creatine supplementation.
- You will begin to notice a decrease in water weight in the first 2–3 days after stopping creatine use.
- Your physical appearance will change as you lose water weight.
Don’t be alarmed when your muscles begin to look smaller as you lose water weight. You are not losing muscle mass when you quit creatine—you are merely reducing the amount of water stored in your muscles. All your hard work weight training will not go to waste if you quit creatine.
Is It Good to Take Creatine When Trying to Lose Weight?
Creatine is not a good supplement to take when you are trying to lose weight. The reasons for this are:
- Creatine increases the amount of water your body stores in the muscles.
- Excess stored water caused by creatine supplementation can add 5–7 pounds (2–3 kilos) to your body weight.
- Using creatine can cause your muscles and stomach to look larger due to stored water.
- Creatine does not increase metabolism or aid in fat burning.
- Creatine is primarily used to boost athletic performance for resistance training and muscle-building activity, not weight loss.
Although creatine is one of the safest and most effective supplements to boost your performance in the gym, it is not a good choice if you’re looking to lose weight. Taking creatine while trying to lose fat can make it look like you’re not making progress. The excess water storage caused by creatine can increase your weight on the scale and make you appear to have more body fat. So, it’s best to avoid creatine when your goal is losing weight.
