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I am 5'10 1/2 130 pounds and around 18.5 - 19.0 percent body fat. It's gross. My goal is to look like this lady one day.

http://michelleberger.com/images/174.jpg

She takes creatine and says it helped her get the cut look she has. I have heard lots of women say it's a great product to use and it will help me get more definition. So I go to buy some at the local GNC the other day and this guy who was eating a fast food burger and fries (i kid you not) and isn't in that great of shape but thinks he is tells me that creatine will make me fat. Hmmmmmmmmm.... The kind I was looking at only had 140 or 150 calories in it if I don't go over my calorie consumption for the day how will I get fat? I mean I do work out and stuff. So my question is will creatine make me cut or fat? Thanks.

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Yeah I heard I should take it to help get lean muscle and more "cut". I have heard you gain 3-5 pounds of water weight when taking it but I don't think me being 135 pounds would be fat So I was just wondering if anyone here had taken it and if they had any problems with it. The guy kept giving out free advice I didn't ask for and telling me you'll get really fat if you take that. He also told me trimspa would help with getting more muscle For those who aren't familiar thats the diet pill Anna Nicole went on to lose weight. I never knew muscle came in pill form haha.

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natural blonde, first of all, if you know the pictured woman, you may want to ask her if she supplements with any muscle-building or fat burning agents such as: clenbuterol, winstrol, deca-durabolin etc... all of which, by the way, are illegal drugs. also take surgeries into consideration. people have no idea what extremes even fitness models, both male and female, go to.

about creatine,

1. no it WILL NOT make you fat.

2. only buy 100% pure creatine monohydrate, don't get the products like cell tech or GNC brand that have sugar in them as well, just take your creatine with grape juice or gatorade to get the same effect.

3. take 5g with gatorade or grape juice immediately after training and first thing in the morning on non-training days.

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I don't now the lady I just read her website and she has a page about her creatine use. Thanks for the info on creatine. I went out Tuesday and bought the Gnc version =( oops. Oh well it was only 20.00 bucks for a huge container compared to 60.00 for the other kind so I wanted to make sure I liked it before I spent a lot on it. Thanks for the advice though and when I run out I will be sure to get a better kind. I've only taken it twice so far and I already feel very bloated with it. I guess that's from the water weight?

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I went out Tuesday and bought the Gnc version =( oops. Oh well it was only 20.00 bucks for a huge container compared to 60.00 for the other kind so I wanted to make sure I liked it before I spent a lot on it. Thanks for the advice though and when I run out I will be sure to get a better kind.

 

I think the advice was to avoid the creatine drink mixes that are mostly sugar. GNC brand is fine, for $20 you can get about 200 servings of pure creatine. However, GNC also sells products like creadrive that are creatine plus sugar. You only get about 20 servings of creatine and a whole bucket of sugar for your same $20. Better to buy the pure creatine and use your own sugar drink or smoothie to put it in. I believe actual creatine in most products is made by the same manufacturer, regardless of what brand it is being marketed with.

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yea michael, creadrive (lol saw that the other day) and the like were the products that i was referring to. good to know you just bought pure monohydrate.

 

about the bloat, i often get a feeling like that with preworkout or postworkout supplements. i think it's because i'm in a hurry to drink them, resulting in my "downing" the whole thing. try just sipping on the stuff, and if you continue to feel bloated, it may be the creatine itself. in which case, you can cut the serving down to 3g/day instead of 5 or 10

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While I admire your desire to chisel yourself just that much more, after reading your stats I think that it is important that you check yourself for sanity . I don't know whether to offer my advice or ask you for a date! If you are a competitive bodybuilder and need that edge then, well okay, let's talk.

 

While creatine may help you knock out an extra rep or two, it will most probably have you retaining some water as well, which is not great for cutting up. It's kind of like asking if protein will make you more cut? While you may inadvertantly get cut while using it, it on its own will probably have little effect regarding that. Now if it makes you do that many more reps, sets, or minutes on the treadmill then of course it can contribute to getting ripped. Finding the right balance in your diet and workout, while the obvious answer, is the best answer.

 

The products on the market that are designed specifically for getting ripped are usually stimulants, whether drug or "natural," and I don't generally recommend them. There are some products that are supposed to help with utilization of this or that but I don't know anyone whose ripped up due to chromium, garcinia cambogia or the like. Out of all the complaints from herb use, about half of them are from ephedra (herbal equivalent is ma huang.) If you are vegan due to preventing animal cruelty, then don't be cruel to your body either!

 

See my posting under FREE OFFER. The product has co-factors that are supposed to help with fat loss, including an herbal calcium blend (involved in the process) and an anti-stress combo (stress activates cortisol production which makes the body diminish fat breakdown.) I know people who have felt tighter and have lost fat using the product. It is also formulated by a Master Herbalist with a lineage of over 1,200 years who has balanced the product and made sure it is safe. Hurry, I only have two more spots open!

 

Adam

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I"ve used it off and on in the past, but really only a few times ever. I used a tiny bit of creatine back in 2000, and maybe a tiny bit in 2001 and then not again until 2004, and then I used a little bit in 2005.

 

Topher, you'll probably find that you will jump up in weight quickly, but understand that most of it is water weight. Taking creatine, it's not too uncommon to gain 10 pounds pretty much overnight (or within a week or so) and getting ready for a contest, you cut it out so you are not holding water and looking soft.

 

Some people love it, and I do believe that it aids in strength and has some benefits but I typically stay away from it.

 

I've used a ton of supplments in the past (all vegan of course) and now I hardly use any. I pretty much take a multivitamin and some Vega and that's about it.---I tend to run low on funds on a regular basis so that is part of it, but I'm also just cutting back on them. I might get back into taking Glutamine, Vitamin E, Flax Oil, and a bunch of other stuff again (I just gotta sell a few more t-shirts first)

 

Toph-dogg, let us know how it goes for you.

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Yeah, I hate the bloat from Creatine . Dabbled with it in the past - don't think I'll ever use it again - it used to cramp my lower back and legs so much that it hurt to go running. I've heard it can damage the kidneys??

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Here are my experiences concerning creatine supplementation:

 

I first used it when i wasn't vegan. I took the 100% creatine powder then, 30g per day with grape juice, as recommended. All i got was digestion problems and stomache ache with loss of appetite. I tried again months later with the same result. All other athletes i know had some kind of gastrointestinal problems with creatine powder in these doses.

 

At the moment i'm in my second 6 week creatine cycle since yesterday. I use cellulose capsules now, 4x1,25g per day, that's 5g per day. In the first cycle i had a good strength gain, but i'm not sure how much of it was due to the training system i adopted the same time for the first time (doggcrapp).

I use it for 4-6 weeks and then 4-6 weeks off, to avoid getting used to it and to relieve my kidneys.

 

I believe that creatine in moderate doses is a good supplement for natural vegan bodybuilders, as it is not included in the diet.

 

In excessive doses it might damage the kidneys, if you drink not enough, but i don't really believe that it's dangerous.

 

Moreover, i'm quite sure that the weight gains and water retention are more due to the usually recommended amount of sugar than to the creatine itself.

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i've been on creatine for almost a month and i haven't gained any weight from it.

 

i haven't had this water weight or bloating. but my eight pack is coming in again. i think it's more die to higher intensity smarter workout than to the creatine.

 

but one of the trainers at my gym swears it burns fat. i told him that the atp cycle stuff was probably just helping with overall metabolism. he said it literally burns fat. i walked away.

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What i forgot to mention was that in my opinion creatine is the more useful, the more advanced you already are. It simply gives you no big benefit to load your muscles when you don't have much muscle anyway...

 

And i'm quite sure that it doesn't burn fat

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yeah. i know. no fat burn. but this guy is a boob and says it literally makes fat melt.

 

anyhow, i find that my chest looks much bigger when i'm using it. it really swells up.

 

 

Hey, naturalblonde! I was looking at it. You're 5'10 1/2 and 130. That's hot. And you're sn is *natural*blonde. That's hot. 18-19% body fat is good for girls. It proabably makes you hot. No kidding. I don't think you need creatine. Unless you want helps feeling like you're bulking up faster.

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I took both the powder and the liquid creatine.

 

This is what I learned: First, the powder is bad for your liver and kidneys, from all the powder you drink only about 5-10% of it goes to your muscles, the rest is not desolved properly and goes out in the urine but it passes through your system before. If you don't drink large amounts of water you will get muscle cramps. The liquid works 100 times better, you only drink a few drops and the entire amount goes to your system, the good thing about the liquid creatine is that you don't need a ridiculous amount of water to help brake it down, just normal amount.

 

What it did for me: As far as size or def. I didn't notice anything huge, but it did help me with my lifts, It would give me extra strength at the end of the work out while trying to get that extra rep. I really noticed the difference on the last sets.

 

However, while doing my research, I found that most (if not all) of the creatine products sold on the market are taken from animals. If you are a Vegan for ethical reasons you should look into that before you start taking it. But if thats not a big deal and you really think it will help your workout, then I would highly recommend the liquid. The powder will only mess up your liver and kidneys.

 

Good luck.

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However, while doing my research, I found that most (if not all) of the creatine products sold on the market are taken from animals. If you are a Vegan for ethical reasons you should look into that before you start taking it.

Can you tell me where you got that information?

As far as i know, creatine is not animal-derived. It's not extracted from muscle tissue or anything like that (not for ethical reasons, obviously, but simply beacuse that would be too expensive ). I think it's synthesized in the lab from amino acids, and as far as i know, they use plant protein as the source. Maybe that differs with the producer.

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As far as i know, creatine is not animal-derived. It's not extracted from muscle tissue or anything like that (not for ethical reasons, obviously, but simply beacuse that would be too expensive Confused ). I think it's synthesized in the lab from amino acids, and as far as i know, they use plant protein as the source. Maybe that differs with the producer.

 

That is what I've heard too, but I'm going to look into it more. I've only used it a few times in my life and for me, I didn't notice much of a difference, but I wasn't really consistent with it, and as we all know.......consistency is key!

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I found those sources about four five years ago, I did creatine for about a year and then stopped (liquid creatine was too expensive for my pocket) Then I became vegetarian and began to cut animal products from my diet. Never thought about doing it again because of those articles. I tried to find the sources last night but they were long gone and everything else I found contradicted those two reports I read so perhaps I was seriously misinformed. I'll keep searching but it looks I was wrong.

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Oddly enough the only creatine I've ever taken was Cell-Tech. I don't wish to refute anyone elses claims, but only offer my personal experience. I'm no expert.

 

I called Muscle-Tech with a question about the proper use for my weight. They gave me more tailored instructions that those on the tub. I followed those instructions very closely. The results were hard for me to believe.

 

I gained 20lbs in learly 6 weeks. It's seems like BS to even type that. There are more factors that could have played a part in that rapid weight gain. I was also using a suppliment I got from a friend that he called decca??sp?....ok ok I'm kidding really now.

 

It was 1998. I was 20 yrs old. The only prior lifting experience was in Juvie when I was 14. I was sitting around 5'10" and 140bls. Very thin for my frame. The fact that this was the very beginning of my serious training, my age, body type, and diet could have most certainly attributed to gains like this. After the 6 week cycle was over I stopped taking any supppliments at all, and retained most of this weight. Like I said, it seems odd even to me. I have taken cell-tech since then with more typical results.

 

As for the powder form being bad for your liver...meh...everything CAN be bad for you. Don't use it for prolonged periods of time, and you'll be fine.

 

Now that I've gone on forever...back to the topic. The fact that creatine helped the woman in the picture look like that is very VERY unlikely...refer to the post about clembuterol or winstrol for a more likely aid to her look. That or photoshop.

 

Natural Blond, people try to tell me this and that about my fitness goals all the time(people whom I do not ask) If you would like to be more lean, please by all means strive for that goal. My advice would be more in the vein of Monitor your diet very closely and only eat calories that will benefit you goal. Concentrate on lifting 3 sets of 12-15 with weight that allows you to do those sets with proper form. Rest for a strict 30 seconds between sets and 1 to 1.5 min between exercises. If you can stick to that you are using too much weight. Implement exercises such as squats, clean and press, and dead lift which work multipul parts of your body at once. Get plenty of rest and take a multivitamin. You can most certainly incorporate cardio into this equation, but your hightened metabolic rate last much longerr from weight training that it does from cardiovascular activity. Sigh...I really went on there. Sorry...well...I guess you didn't have to read it.

 

Jason

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  • 6 months later...

try Creatine Ethyl Ester hcl. there's no water retention and it requires less to be effective. If you sing, try it before a session, you will notice a definite change in the voice - more power/volume. Creatine is hard to beat as far as supplements go.

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