Contrary to popular belief, you should take creatine while on a cut! The biggest drawback I hear from taking creatine is that you retain more water which is 100% accurate. But when you are cutting your goal is to lose body fat not water.
No, going off of creatine will not make you look more cut. Creatine increases muscle mass but does not increase body fat. The weight gained from taking creatine is from water retention in the muscle cells. But this only causes the muscles to potentially look bigger and does not appear as added weight to the body.
If you want to take full advantage of creatine while cutting, aim for the maintenance dosage of 5gr/day and take it as a post-workout. This will give you all creatine's benefits while keeping the possible side effects (water retention and weight gain) of a loading phase (20gr/5-7 days) to a minimum.
Stopping creatine supplementation is safe and can be done at any time. You may experience a slight decrease in strength, performance, and body weight, but the impact should not be significant. There is no set timeline for how long you can or should take creatine supplements.
The gains from creatine can be both temporary and permanent. While the muscle mass gained during the first week of use is typically not permanent, gains made over a longer period can be maintained even after stopping creatine supplementation.
Creatine might help mitigate this effect by helping your muscles retain what they need to metabolize efficiently. Studies show that creatine supplementation can reduce body fat percentage, improves muscular strength, and boosts performance. It may also help protect muscles from damage and helps them heal.
Creatine metabolism plays an important role in adipose tissue bioenergetics and energy expenditure. Thus, the combination of creatine supplementation and resistance training may decrease fat mass more than resistance training alone.
Losing weight means you could lose fat, water weight, or muscle mass. To lose weight and maintain muscle mass, you need to go into a caloric deficit and exercise regularly. Cardio, strength training, and especially compound movements are key to losing fat and building muscle.
No. You won't lose the strength and hypertrophy gains you built while taking creatine once you stop. You may notice your muscles appear less “full” due to losing the water weight gained during creatine monohydrate supplementation. You are not losing muscle mass.
Creatine makes your muscles look bigger, while actually making them bigger as well. First, creatine causes your muscle cells to store more water which causes your muscles to appear fuller and larger. You may notice the size increase a few days or weeks after starting creatine supplementation.
Yes! Creatine helps you gain and retain metabolically-active lean muscle tissue, which makes it an indirect fat burner. Put simply, the more muscle you have on your body, the harder you can work in the weight room, and the more calories you can burn both during and after your training sessions.
There is no evidence to suggest that creatine makes you look less cut. In fact, creatine can help increase muscle mass and improve overall strength, which can lead to a more defined and toned appearance.
As such, when you stop taking creatine, the muscle you built while supplementing with creatine will remain in place. However, you may notice less muscle fullness (due to reduced water retention) as well as a slight drop off in performance (due to lower stores of creatine in the muscle).
It's always best to become completely informed about the supplements you are taking, clear about why you are taking them, and how to best meet your needs and goals. At that point, there will be no need for debate. Creatine is used both for bulking and cutting, but it does not mean it is better at one than the other.
Creatine will not directly cause a decrease in belly fat or bodyweight. In fact, you may actually gain weight during the first week of taking creatine supplements. This is due to an increase in water retention within the cells of your muscle tissue.
Doses up to 25 grams daily for up to 14 days have been safely used. Lower doses up to 4-5 grams daily for up to 18 months have also been safely used. Creatine is possibly safe when taken long-term. Doses up to 10 grams daily for up to 5 years have been safely used.
Increased Water Weight
Creatine helps increase muscle mass by drawing extra water into the muscle cells, causing you to retain fluid. While your muscles haven't actually started growing yet, the increased water is important for future muscle growth, and can be the cause of initial weight gain.
Common creatine side effects may include nausea, diarrhea and weight gain. You should stop taking creatine immediately if you experience more severe side effects such as rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, confusion or lightheadedness.
When used orally at appropriate doses, creatine is likely safe to take for up to five years. As with any dietary supplement, it's important to choose a product that follows recommended manufacturing practices and subscribes to third-party testing to ensure the product's quality.