cubby2112 Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Anyone else have bad problems with creatine water retention making you look fluffy? This has always been an issue with me. I look fuller and bigger on it, but fluffier. When I cycle off, I usually have some pretty good abs, but when on it, it chugs my six pack faster than a frat boy. I remember one time when I cycled on it, that I didn't have issues with losing definition. I may have been leaner at the time, or there may have been some other factor. I don't really believe in any creatine other than monohydrate, and have used micronized mono before. According to Iron Addict, crappy grade mono (I admit, I often grab creatine from GNC, because I suck at keeping it in stock) usually causes more water to pool in the belly area. He says that a good quality micronized mono, such as Creapure, doesn't have this effect. Can anyone corroborate this with personal experience/science? I usually end up going off creatine for long stints because of this, but I hate to, because I respond to creatine incredibly well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcina Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 How much do you take a day? I usually have no problems with just 5mg.. There's no need to "load" on it, in case you were doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubby2112 Posted March 15, 2010 Author Share Posted March 15, 2010 How much do you take a day? I usually have no problems with just 5mg.. There's no need to "load" on it, in case you were doing that. Nah, did the loading phase a few months ago. I usually do 6g a day, because that is what 2tsp comes out to, and that makes things easy. I think the amount of water retention I get from it has to do with the fact that I respond so well to it. Basically, it means that my body can really hold onto some creatine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Fission Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 I never had a lean 6 pack so i wouldn't know.But when i've been on creatine i never noticed the extra water on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubby2112 Posted March 15, 2010 Author Share Posted March 15, 2010 I never had a lean 6 pack so i wouldn't know.But when i've been on creatine i never noticed the extra water on me. Some people seem to get it and some people don't. Do you respond well to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Fission Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 It seemed to have a huge affect on my strength when i used a liquid syrup version and also when i used the BSN creatine and even just the N.O Xplode.My bench went up 5kg in first week of use.The only 1 that had no affect whatsoever was a cheap monohydrate.I did the loading and everything, even used over 5 grams a day but nothing.Haven't used any at all for over a year now though.Haven't been training so it would of been a waste.Might get some soon if i remain a little consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medman Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 I've been using CEE lately, and have noticed both some bloating and significant strength gains. Not totally sure I'm a fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberryriddick Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Creatine must be attached to another molecule to hang out on the shelf and be stable until you buy it, mix it, and consume it. Once consumed, it breaks down into its components: creatine + whatever the hell else it's attached to. If you, like most people (including myself), are taking creatine monohydrate, you are taking creatine + salt, which is why you feel "fluffy." This is also how creatine got the bad reputation of "only making you gain water weight, not real muscle" and is also why you may find yourself more thirsty when you supplement with this. There are other options, like Kre-Alkalyn, creatine ethyl ester, creatine hydrochloride, and creatine gluconate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubby2112 Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 Creatine must be attached to another molecule to hang out on the shelf and be stable until you buy it, mix it, and consume it. Once consumed, it breaks down into its components: creatine + whatever the hell else it's attached to. If you, like most people (including myself), are taking creatine monohydrate, you are taking creatine + salt, which is why you feel "fluffy." This is also how creatine got the bad reputation of "only making you gain water weight, not real muscle" and is also why you may find yourself more thirsty when you supplement with this. There are other options, like Kre-Alkalyn, creatine ethyl ester, creatine hydrochloride, and creatine gluconate. I had no idea it was attached to a salt molecule. I always thought it was a creatine molecule attached to a hydrogen molecule and maybe citrate. I used to use kre-alkalyn. It was actually the first stuff I tried. I got the same results from it as from monohydrate, but didn't notice any sort of water retention with it. I have used mono since, because of all the studies, price, etc. Since Medman sees bloat with CEE, does that include salt as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberryriddick Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Since Medman sees bloat with CEE, does that include salt as well?To my understanding, CEE breaks into creatine and an alcohol molecule. But it's really all up to your body. There could be something about the type of ester that Medman is having an issue with, just like some people don't bloat with the monohydrate. Find one that works for you...just like everything else! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason X Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 So, where do folks buy this stuff? I'm quite unfond of ordering things online, but is that the best way to do it? I'd like to give this stuff a shot, but really would like to hold onto the abs that I have... bodybuilding.com? Which one for starters? (I know. No one can answer that question but me...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubby2112 Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 So, where do folks buy this stuff? I'm quite unfond of ordering things online, but is that the best way to do it? I'd like to give this stuff a shot, but really would like to hold onto the abs that I have... bodybuilding.com? Which one for starters? (I know. No one can answer that question but me...) Do you just mean creatine mono or CEE? You can grab some mono (or CEE I think) from GNC or something to try if you don't want to order it online. If you want the highest quality, I would recommend trueprotein.com. They also carry CEE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjs Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I don't think that creatine monohydrate normally contains salt. There's sodium as a byproduct/contaminate of the reaction that is used to create it. The MSDS just lists it as C4H9N3O2.H20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason X Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Bought some mono creatine. A month or so's worth. We'll see what happens between now and then. Now I just gotta go buy some juice to drink it with. What does everyone recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberryriddick Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 There's sodium as a byproduct/contaminate of the reaction that is used to create it.That's correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjs Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 There's sodium as a byproduct/contaminate of the reaction that is used to create it.That's correct.Yeah but in a high quality creatine monohydrate supplement, there should only be trace amounts of sodium. Not enough to cause water retention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Nearing Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Use Kre-Alkalyn. I perfer it over Creatine Monohydrate anyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberryriddick Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 There's sodium as a byproduct/contaminate of the reaction that is used to create it.That's correct.Yeah but in a high quality creatine monohydrate supplement, there should only be trace amounts of sodium. Not enough to cause water retention.Agreed. In fact, the studies show that creatine monohydrate does not cause water retention. However, because many people complain about it, I give it some merit...after all, there are plenty of studies that prove something for the general public that doesn't always apply to every individual, you know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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