FIND OUT DOES CREATINE MAKE YOU GAIN WEIGHT & Ways TO AVOID IT?

Creatine is an amino acid which is used to provide energy to the cells and helps in building muscle mass. A lot of people these days take the oral creatine to build and enhance their athletic performance and to transform their body. It also helps to improve brain disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. But apart from increasing the size of muscle, creatine can also cause some unwanted weight gain, which people usually mistakenly consider fat. So before taking any kind of creatine supplement, it is actually very important to understand what are the other types of weight gain that a person might experience and things you can do to reverse that unwanted weight, and so this will also help you to avoid questions like- does creatine make you gain weight?. Thus, to help you figure this out, we got your covered through this article.

So as you scroll down, you will find out complete details about creatine, such as what exactly it is, can creatine make you gain weight, details of other possible reasons for increase in weight, what to do if weight has increased after taking creatine and much more. So just keep reading below to check out all the info.

Does creatine make you gain weight?

So a lot of people these days are concerned about consuming oral creatine and that it leads to weight gain. You might have also heard other people complaining of looking pumped up or swollen, shortly after starting taking the creatine supplement. So it is certainly true that creatine can cause a little weight gain, but that gain in weight might not be due to fat. And so there are other possible reasons due to which your weight might have gone up. So they are as follows-

1. Water weight-  So water weight is a kind of weight which can occur due to creatine, and so a possible alternative of does creatine make you gain weight. This is also called as fluid retention, ie. when creatine causes a rapid water weight due to the amount of water this supplement draws into the cells of muscles. 

Your muscles will then hold onto this water, which will further result in puffiness or bloating around the stomach, legs and arms. You might also feel like your muscles are appearing big, even when you have just begun to train.

And so in the first week of taking oral creatine, some people might experience 2 to 4.5 pounds of weight gain, mainly due to the water weight or water retention.

1. Muscle mass- Now, despite causing some water retention or water weight gain, it is also found in research that creatine can also be an effective supplement in increasing strength and endurance. And over time, you might also notice an increase in the size and strength of your muscle.

And this increase in muscle mass will also tip your weight scale upwards. As your muscles start to become bigger, the water weight becomes a lot less noticeable, and you will look less swollen. And so, another possible answer to does creatine make you gain weight.

1. Non-muscle weight gain- Now, you might also be worried about the non-muscle weight gain, which is normally called ‘fat’. But despite everything, and essentially rapid increase in weight, creatine will never make you fat. 

You will need to consume more calories than you usually expand to gain some fat. A single scoop of creatine per day, which is about 5 grams, does not have any calories in it. And at the very least, only a few calories will be there. And in addition to this, if you will eat a healthy diet and stay healthy, then there are very less chances of you putting on the fat while consuming oral creatine.

What to do if your weight has gone up after taking creatine?

As water weight gain is quite temporary with creatine, because of which you also need not to think does creatine make you gain weight, and so here are a few tips on how you can reduce the fluid retention easily-

1. Try to increase your intake of water- Drinking more water helps in stimulating the urine, which further helps to remove any amount of excess water from your body. 

1. Reduce the intake of sodium- It is said that too much sodium is responsible for the body to retain fluid. So eating more vegetables and fresh fruits, and a limited amount of fast food and preserved foods will keep your sodium intake to almost less than 2300 milligrams or mg per day.

1. Reduce the intake of carbohydrate- As carbs is an important source of energy for the human body, it also causes the body to hold onto water, so it is recommended to not overdo it. You should limit your intake of carbohydrate and keep it between 225 to 325 grams per day.

1. And just be patient- Exercises help a lot to reduce the retention of water in the body. So try to do more workout and train your body the right way, which will help your body to retain less water.

Are there any other risks associated with creatine?

As you read above about- does creatine make you gain weight, what are other types of gain and what to do when weight has increased, here are the details of a few other risks which are associated with weight gain. So for most of the part, creatine is considered to be absolutely safe and it just causes a few side effects. However, there are concerns of creatine causing kidney, heart or liver damage, when taken in high doses. So if you are someone who has a kidney, liver or heart problem, then you should consult your doctor whether creatine is the right choice for you or not.

Some other major side effects of consuming creatine are- nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness, heat intolerance and muscle cramps. So in case these side effects get worse or do not improve at all, immediately stop taking oral creatine.