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Truth About Creatine ‘Helping’ Weight Loss | Nutritionist Reveals All

Truth About Creatine ‘Helping’ Weight Loss | Nutritionist Reveals All
Emily Wilcock
Writer and expert2 years ago
View Emily Wilcock's profile

He’s in no need of introduction at this point, but Myprotein’s expert nutritionist, Richie Kirwan, is here once again answer your questions on all things supplements, breaking down the facts into words you can understand.

This time, it’s creatine. Wait... again? Really?

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So, should you take creatine while trying to lose bodyweight?

Firstly it’s important to make it clear that when we talk about weight loss, losing body fat matters more than what the scales say. Physical appearance is often the actual goal when someone wants to lose weight. The number on the scales doesn’t matter one bit if someone’s happy with their progress.

So, straight into the nitty gritty.

Can creatine improve fat loss?

Absolutely not.

Should you stop taking it if you’re trying to lose body fat?

Absolutely not.

While creatine doesn’t help with the number on the scales, it can certainly help you to meet your goals in terms of what you see in the mirror.

If you take creatine continuously, it builds up in your muscles until you can’t absorb any more. The creatine molecules in your muscles attract water, meaning your muscles can appear fuller when taking creatine.

The increase in muscle fullness is also associated with a small increase in bodyweight when someone starts taking creatine. But remember, it’s not fat. It’s the extra water stored in the muscles, helping them to look fuller.

Creatine also helps you to maintain more power and explosivity at the gym. This can be especially helpful if you’re trying to lose weight and feeling sluggish on your calorie deficit. This will help you to train harder and recover better.

Taking creatine can also help reduce loss of strength when dieting.

The only time you perhaps shouldn’t take creatine is when you’re literally trying to lose weight. To reduce the actual number on the scales. For example, if you’re an athlete trying to fit into a certain weight class for boxing or MMA.

Take Home Message

You do you. It’s not vital that you take creatine while dieting, although it may improve your gym performance. And if you’re taking it before beginning your weight loss journey, you definitely don’t need to stop to reach your goals.

 

 

Enjoy this article? LEARN MORE ABOUT CREATINE HERE:

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Our articles should be used for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to be taken as medical advice. If you're concerned, consult a health professional before taking dietary supplements or introducing any major changes to your diet.

Emily Wilcock
Writer and expert
View Emily Wilcock's profile
After completing an internship with Myprotein, Emily returned to university to finish her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Marketing. With experience in lifestyle writing, Emily aims to entertain and educate through her work. Her focuses include recipes, real and inspiring stories, and working with writers to help provide easy-to-digest evidence-based research. Her work on recipes has been previously featured in The Supplement magazine, with a particular focus on high-protein, nutritious meals, plus advice on how to properly fuel your body. Outside of work, Emily’s top priority is food. She’s a self-professed star baker and a connoisseur of all things baked. In her spare time, she’s either cooking up a storm, our looking out for the opportunity to try out Manchester’s newest restaurants. But as a huge fan of carbs, if it’s not pasta or pasta-adjacent, she’s not interested. If she’s not in the kitchen, she’s tucked up with a book for an early night, or you’ll find her in the gym working up a sweat. Afterall, all those carbs require quite the appetite.
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