Creatine for weight loss: Benefits, best practices, and precautions

In a nutshell

Creatine is a compound naturally found in muscles and brain tissue that’s responsible for driving energy to muscles for contraction. Does creatine help you lose fat? Though it doesn’t burn fat itself, taking creatine as a supplement for workouts can offer the following benefits:

• Improved workout performance by up to 15%
• Easier muscle recovery
• Enhanced metabolic rate
• Muscle growth and prevention

Given the common challenges of weight loss, it’s no wonder so many women who are struggling with this process are endlessly looking for additional aids in the form of massages, body wraps, and, of course, supplements. These days, creatine is one of the trending supplements considered to complement weight loss efforts. But is creatine good for weight loss for real?

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What Is Creatine?

Creatine is an organic compound naturally found in muscles and brain tissue. It comes from three amino acids and plays a significant role in energy production–it stimulates adenosine triphosphate (ATP) regeneration and sources your muscles with energy for contraction.

Although some amounts of creatine are naturally present in your body, these days, this compound is also widely used in the form of dietary supplements. It’s used by amateur and professional athletes as an aid in workout performance and recovery.

Does Creatine Help With Weight Loss?

Given its widespread application in the fitness sector, creatine has also quickly found application in weight loss. Looking at athletes, many women on their weight loss journey start wondering “Will creatine help me lose weight?”

So let’s try to answer this question!

Creatine and Weight Loss

Despite the common use of creatine for fat loss, there is no actual evidence that this supplement burns fat or helps you lose weight. In fact, a study of two groups of people–one on creatine supplementation and the other one on placebo, has shown that there was no tangible statistical difference in their weight loss results. Adults who were taking supplements lost roughly 0.5 kg more fat mass compared to the other group. However, this difference is considered to be linked to the effort study participants put into their resistance training.

Does creatine make you lose weight? - Solely taking supplements doesn’t directly affect the weight loss process. Still, creatine can aid in weight loss indirectly.

How does creatine help you lose weight?

Though it doesn’t directly burn fat, creatine is known for being a tangible aid in exercise.

Thanks to its natural role in energy production and supply, creatine supplementation basically gives your body “bursts” of energy and thus, helps you train better. This compound improves the strength, endurance, and recovery in your workouts. In general, it’s believed to improve exercise performance by up to 15%.

Improved workout performance and faster recovery, in turn, stimulate calorie burn. That’s how supplements with creatine help lose weight.

3 Benefits of Using Creatine to Lose Weight

If you ever wonder “Should I take creatine while trying to lose weight,” the answer might be “yes.” Although it doesn’t affect fat burning directly, creatine supplements offer you a number of significant benefits in terms of weight loss:

1. Workout Performance Boost

As you already know, creatine can boost your performance by up to 15%, improving strength and stamina. This makes it a great supplement for supporting your exercise routines and enhancing workout intensity.

As a result, when you use this compound for high-intensity and resistance training, you can enhance the amount of calories you burn per workout and thus, increase your energy deficit to lose weight.

2. Enhanced Metabolic Rate

Studies show that creatine consumption can improve your metabolic outcomes. An increased metabolic rate helps you burn more calories at rest, as well as during physical activity. Respectively, you lose more calories per day, and can stimulate weight loss.

3. Muscle Growth and Preservation

If you’re wondering “Can creatine help with weight loss,” one more fact that’s important to note is that by boosting your workout performance, this compound can actually make you gain mass but it will be muscle mass. Studies show that people who take creatine supplements and exercise regularly can grow lean muscles faster than people who don’t consume them. On the one hand, this could mean that you won’t be losing as much weight as you’d wish. However, your muscle-to-fat ratio will be changing, leading to a more toned, better-quality body.

Another thing worth noting is that creatine is also known for its muscle preservation capabilities. That is, taking it while you’re on a calorie deficit can help you mitigate muscle loss and burn more fat instead.

Creatine and Fat Loss: Practical Tips for Reaching Your Body Goals

So does creatine help with fat loss? - As you now know, this supplement can indeed aid in the weight loss and training process by helping you perform better physically. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to remember that it’s not a miracle supplement that will do all the magic for you. It actually requires effort on your side to work effectively, and here are a few tips that can help you make the most out of it:

• Pick the right supplement type. One thing most beginners overlook is that creatine comes in a variety of kinds, including creatine ethyl ester, creatine hydrochloride, creatine monohydrate, creatine magnesium chelate, buffered creatine, and many others. To help you narrow your choices, we suggest opting for creatine monohydrate. At this moment, this is the most extensively studied and clinically confirmed type of creatine that has been shown to stimulate muscle uptake and increase high-intensity exercise capacity.
• Identify the correct dosage and timing. While every supplement manufacturer may have different recommendations concerning creatine consumption, one thing remains unchanged. Creatine is recommended to be taken in two phases. First, the loading phase is recommended to last for 5-7 days, during which you consume more creatine to rapidly saturate muscle stores. After this, you should switch to a maintenance phase and consume less creatine for continued benefits.
• Always combine creatine with workouts. Can creatine help you lose weight? - Yes, but not by directly burning fat. This supplement is meant to improve your performance during exercise, which is why you should always combine it with regular workouts, such as strength training and HIIT, to achieve the best results.
• Reinforce your workouts and creatine intake with a calorie-controlled diet. If you’re wondering how to lose fat while taking creatine, you should remember that the only secret to effective weight loss is an energy deficit. That is, you must consume fewer calories than you spend in order to reach your goals. To do this, you need to stick to a nutritious and calorie-controlled diet that stimulates healthy weight loss.
• Always drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. When someone starts looking up “Does creatine cause weight loss” on the Internet, one common myth they typically come across is that creatine actually causes you to gain weight. This is partially true–when you start taking this supplement for the first time, you may notice some weight gain. This is a temporary gain that’s associated with water retention in muscles due to supplementation. That’s why staying well hydrated is pivotal when you’re taking creatine as drinking more water can actually help your body to flush out excess water and overcome its retention. Besides, staying hydrated will help you support your metabolic functions and support kidney health.

Creatine for Weight Loss: Recommendations and Precautions

Now that you know more about this supplement, one last big question that remains unanswered is–is creatine good for weight loss for everyone? While this supplement can indeed support weight loss and training processes, it might not be a good solution for everyone.

Generally, this supplement is considered the most beneficial for professional athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and those working on body recomposition. If you’re wondering “Can you lose weight on creatine without exercising,” the answer is generally “no.” So it’s not recommended to consider this supplement as a solely dieting solution if you're not into sports.

Also, it’s important to note that creatine fat loss supplementation may also have some precautions. Typically, this supplement is not recommended to people who suffer from high blood pressure, liver disease, or kidney disease because taking it may stop the body from making its own natural stores of this compound. Also, though creatine is generally considered safe, there is still a lack of research concerning its safety for certain female conditions like PCOS or endometriosis.

Given these precautions, it’s recommended to consult a healthcare specialist if you have any concerns regarding the safety of creatine for you.

FAQ

Does creatine help lose weight?

Creatine is a natural compound responsible for sourcing your muscles with energy. While it doesn’t directly stimulate weight loss, it can support the process by improving your workout performance and recovery.

Does creatine burn fat without exercising?

Research doesn’t show a tangible difference in fat loss in people who consume creatine while not exercising and those who don’t. So if you’re wondering “Does creatine help lose fat on its own,” the answer is “no.” This supplement is meant for people who work out and want to boost their performance. If you combine it with regular exercising, creatine can stimulate muscle growth, enhance metabolism, and help you exercise more effectively, thus, helping fat loss.

Should I take creatine if Im trying to lose weight?

The answer comes down to your individual needs and goals. Using creatine for weight loss has been shown to be the most beneficial for people who are professional athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and those working on body recomposition. It’s also important to keep in mind that this supplement might not be suitable for people with certain medical conditions, so it’s recommended to consult a doctor before taking it.

Conclusion

Creatine is an organic compound that plays a crucial role in energy generation and supply. Thanks to its ability to give a natural energy boost to muscles, this compound is widely used in training and body recomposition. But does creatine help burn fat?

Though it doesn’t directly stimulate weight loss, creatine can reinforce your weight-loss process if you combine it with regular workouts. Studies show that this compound can boost workout performance by up to 15%, improve recovery, enhance metabolisms, and stimulate muscle growth and preservation, hence, helping you burn more calories and improve body quality in the long run.