Does Creatine Make You Bloated?
Ifโyou feel tired or sluggish one day while in the gym, on the athletic track, on the Gridiron, or wherever you need to perform athletically. The implication here is that you would need a whole newโsupplement stack.
Weโhave to prioritize the fundamentals of health and fitness for us to perform at our peak. It includes things like gettingโa good sleep cycle, hydrating well, consuming good fruit and fresh produce, protein, regular workouts, etc… Once you have all those things in place, though, the next thingโto consider is your supplement routine.
Every single year, the healthโand fitness supplement industry is worth billions upon billions.
We spend our hard-earned money on various supplements in hopes for us to attain our health and fitness goals and when done right, these supplements can beโvery beneficial.
Creatineโsupplements specifically are incredibly popular in the fitness community but some people say it can make them bloat. So this is what weโre hopingโto unpack today as we explore the wonder that is creatine and the potential side effects.
So, does creatine give youโbloating?
How Does Creatine Work?
Creapureยฎ Creatine Monohydrate Creatine supplementsโare among the most popular supplements and are particularly very popular amongst athletes and bodybuilders. Creatine supplements can help people who useโtheir muscles a lot, and who stress their muscles a lot.
But why?
Well, creatine aids the muscles toโcontract. This doesnโt just mean that it benefits the muscles when you choose to flexโand strike a double bicep pose in the gym mirror. Muscle contractions areโwhat cause every single movement the muscles help with to take place.
ATP in the body: it is used as an Energy Sourceโin Muscles.
Muscle cellsโtake in ATP and use it for energy. If the cells in your musclesโare batteries that make the muscles go, ATP is the lithium ions that you use to power batteries. When we intake creatine itโcombines with a Pi and forms Phosphocreatine.
This helpsโcreate creatine in the body which enables the body system to synthesize more ATP. The more ATP the body is capable of generating, the more effort the muscles can exert, the longer they can sustainโthat effort and ultimately the more productive our training sessions will be.
The challenge is that ATP decays rapidly and splits into AdenosineโDiphosphate (ADP). ADP is worthlessโto the muscles, or the muscle cells, that is, it canโt energize them further.
Creatine supplements support the body’s conversion of ADPโback into ATP, which the cells can use for energy. If you were able to only complete 9 reps of a certain exercise, with a certain weight, without creatine, creatine could help you perform 10 reps, or maybe even theโ9 reps with some heavier weight.
It mayโnot map too much, but it is little things in this way that plot the way most in the rec center. Creatine can not only help you in short high-intensity bursts of activity but also increases muscle endurance and stamina for those longer and moreโdrawn-out sessions.
What Is Creatine Bloating?
Now, as amazing as creatine is, one of the biggest downsides for many isโthat it can create bloating.
Creatine is an incredibly safeโsupplement. Today, it is one of the safestโon the market We even make creatine naturally, and eat it in some of our favorite foods,โso it canโt be all bad. Unfortunately, the fact that it is said to cause bloating isโone of the main reasons that so many people hesitate to use creatine supplements.
Soโwhat exactly is creatine bloating and should you be concerned?
Creatine bloat is not something serious, it is justโa common side effect of taking the supplement due to holding water. Creatine has a molecular structure that allows it to transport more water aroundโthe body. This is what is called a โhydrationโshellโ.
This indicates that when skeletal muscle creatine levelsโrise, it also increases the amount of water in the muscle, specifically within the muscle cells. But the good news for those who want to get big and jacked is, that this makes the muscles appear bigger andโfuller.
You have so much fluid on board, the body responds by trying to get rid of it in the form ofโurine.โ Until that process plays itself out though, water remains in the body, leaving you looking puffy and feeling bloated and sluggish, as ifโyou chugged a gallon of water in one sitting.
Key Takeaways On Creatine And Bloating:
So, weโve established inโterms of does creatine make you bloated, well yes creatine is super beneficial, but weโve also established that it can lead to bloating.
Butโis bloating a dangerous problem, or is it simply cosmetic?
With that said, here areโsome major takeaways about creatine and bloating.
Creatine Bloating Is Common
If you take creatine for the first time and suddenly experience bloating and sluggishness, of course, youโmay wonder if something is wrong, or that youโre having a negative reaction to it. In reality, almost everythingโis probably OK.
So, while it feels gross to look puffy and bloated, thanksโto creatineโs molecular makeup, water retention is a pretty common side effect of the drug.
And if you load with creatine at first, youโll be drinking more liquid so you willโfeel more bloated.
Creatine bloating is nothing toโworry about 99% of the time but remember this.
Creatine Bloat Is Rare But Can BeโSevere
Although creatine bloat is completely normal, one thing we shouldโbear in mind is that in extremely rare cases it can be more serious.
If you are constantly holding on to water, the excess fluid in your bodyโcan lead to challenges with your other organs.
Your kidneys, for instance,โwill have to work overtime to filter the extra liquid. They can take more damage,โthe more they work.
Frequent creatine bloatingโcan also put a severe strain on the heart and the blood vessels.
That is also why cycling creatine on andโoff makes sense. Look for a pH-balanced formula thatโwill help to reduce the bloat.
You Will Be Peeing A Lot
If youโwere methanol vodka or were a vaping slob, you would have to urinate a ransom.
Your kidneys will filter andโprocess all the water you retain, and any excess will be excreted. So you will be peeing and pooping aโlot, but also drinking a lot to make up for the fluids.ยป
If you suddenly find yourself needing to peeโseveral times in the night, do not be alarmed.
NotโEveryone Gets Bloat
So while creatine bloating is relatively common, the key takeaway is thatโnot everyone has to experience said side effect. For someโpeople, itโs simply a function of their genetics, and they do not experience bloating with creatine.
Just as there are creatine non-responders and people who do not benefit from creatine, there are those who drool tons of creatine andโdo not bloat1, no matter how much they drink, or how much they drink.
How Does Creatine Bloating Feel?
Have you ever eaten Chinese takeout or any other form of food rich in sodium, and found yourself feeling thirsty?
No matter how much water you chug you canโt seem to get rid of the thirst. When it finally subsides, you feel bloated and fatigued and donโt want to move. If so, thatโs kind of what creatine bloat is like, minus the thirst.
Creatine bloat can cause your stomach to bloat and swell up, along with your muscles. Your face will look puffy and youโll feel as if youโve just drank heaps of water, or eaten a very large meal. Itโs not very comfortable and it certainly isnโt comfortable when working out.
Usually, creatine bloat tends to subside after a while, though sometimes it can cause you to feel fatigued and lethargic, and even uncomfortably bloated, as if you have trapped wind or gas.
How To Avoid Creatine Bloating?
So, if you are thinking of using a creatine supplement, by now youโre probably worried that itโll make you feel bloated and look puffy. If so, then donโt worry, because there are things you can do to avoid creatine bloating.
To begin with, youโll want to be mindful of your dosages. Weโll go into this a little later on, but reducing your dosage could help. You could also switch types of creatine and go with a different type instead. Again, weโll look at this in more detail shortly.
The last option is simply to avoid creatine altogether and find an alternative supplement such as BCAAs, or maybe even a pre-workout. Or mix a bit of creatine with pre-workout to get a small benefits-less effect.
Does Creatine Make You Bloated?
If youโre feeling very impatient today, or if you simply donโt have enough time to read what weโve looked at earlier because you need to go hit the gym, you may be wondering whether creatine is right for you or not.
So, too long, didnโt read, does creatine make you bloated?
Well, yes it can do, though not everybody will suffer. It is however, a common side effect of this awesome supplement, so if you are prepping for a bodybuilding contest or a photoshoot, and youโre cutting and want to look as lean and ripped as possible, creatine might not be ideal.
How To Beat The Bloat?
So, youโre taking creatine and youโve accepted that itโs going to make you look and feel bloated, but is there anything you can do to help combat the bloat,โso to speak? Well, yes there is.
Reduce The Dose
3g-5g of creatine would be considered a normal daily intakeโfor most individuals, but they are consuming double that in certain cases. If youโhave bloat and are completing y more than 5g of creatine a day, drop your dosage.
Skip The Loading Phase
Creatine loading: Consumeโ20 g of creatine/day, for 5 days. This isโtypically divided into four individual 5g doses. And then of course thereโs all the water the creatine gets mixed withโโ this much creatine alone can bloat a person! The most effective way toโeliminate creatine bloat is just to skip the loading phase altogether.
Creatine Binds Amino Acids inโEnergy Supply
An alternativeโto a standard creatine supplement without the potential for bloat is buffered creatine, combining creatine monohydrate with an alkaline agent.
Take CreatineโRight Before Training
Lastly, for how to prevent creatine bloat, you can also consume your creatine around theโtime of training.
Musclesโusually only take in creatine when they are taking in nutrients. If you dry scoop creatine immediately before exercising, the body might use up more of the creatine and store less, which results inโless water retention and less bloating.
Ironically, we have to drink it together a lot of water together,โbecause the drier you are, the more water you good keep.
Conclusion
Okay, so, does creatine make you bloated?
Yes it does, or at least, it can do.
Creatine is a very beneficial supplement that is designed to improve athletic performance, endurance, and physique, in numerous ways. Its main drawback, however, is the fact that it can cause you to feel bloated.
If you suffer from creatine bloat, take a look at the recommendations weโve left above, and youโll be beating the bloat in no time.