Aussies are facing an obesity crisis, and that’s dangerous not just because of the adverse health effects of being overweight, but it’s also driving people toward diets that might not be the best option for long-term health.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, we’re ranked 10th out of 21 OECD countries for the proportion of people over 15 who are overweight or obese [1].
In fact, results from the Great Aussie Debate showed that more than half of Australians are actively trying to lose weight [2].
One avenue people have turned to is creatine as a supplement. Does creatine help with fat loss? Let’s go into the subject to find out more.
What is creatine?
Creatine is a popular supplement used by professional athletes, bodybuilders, and casual gymgoers alike. A 2020 study found 8.4% of Australian adolescents were already using it, with 25.7% saying they planned to use it in the future [3].
Despite being a supplement, creatine is found naturally in the muscles. It’s there to produce energy to help you power to new PBs or manage those lung-busting, high-intensity exercise sessions.
Adding more creatine via supplements like creatine monohydrate accomplishes several goals, including:
- Support muscle gain
- Enhance strength
- Improve overall athletic performance
Around half of your creatine stores come from your diet, with red meat and fish packing a solid punch.
The rest of it is made from proteins in your kidneys and liver. Around 95% of the body’s creatine is housed in the muscles as phosphocreatine until needed [4].
How does creatine work?
Your primary energy source for high-intensity exercise and heavy lifting is ATP. Creatine supports the production of ATP, helping you gain muscle and power to new heights [5].
Here’s the impact creatine users will note when they start taking this supplement:
- Increased workload – More energy means that you can do more as part of a single session. Boosting your total work volume is obviously ideal for everything from burning calories to long-term muscle growth [6].
- Boosted cell signalling – The key to sustaining any workout plan is cell signalling. Studies have shown that creatine boosts satellite cell signalling, a key factor in repairing and growing the muscles [7].
- Improved cell hydration – Another mechanism noted by scientists is creatine lifts water within your muscle cells. That leads to a volumisation effect widely believed to support muscle growth [8].
In short, it’s easy to see how creatine can benefit anyone looking to get moving and lose weight. However, questions remain over whether creatine supports fat loss and overall weight loss.
Should you take creatine if you’re trying to lose fat?
Will creatine burn fat, create more lean muscle mass, and reduce your weight? These are 3 questions, and they all have different answers.
No, there’s no evidence to show that creatine plays a role in burning fat directly. Likewise, adding a creatine supplement to your diet won’t guarantee any shift in kilos.
Instead, creatine is best used as a support act as part of your overall drive to lose weight and get the body you want.
By improving athletic performance, supporting lean tissue mass and muscle gain, and reducing recovery times, you’re best positioned to work harder, which will naturally have a positive effect on your weight loss journey.
With the University of South Australia reporting that 2.5 million Australians have already tried a weight loss diet, it’s crucial to mention that supplements like creatine aren’t silver bullets for guaranteed weight loss [9]. You’ll still have to put in the work.
How can creatine support fat loss?
The body synthesises its own supply of insulin.
The problem is the amount the body can produce isn’t enough for high-intensity exercise, which is why most inexperienced athletes hit the wall when they initially start out and have no idea what a supplement is.
Creatine doesn’t cause fat loss but it can support fat loss because it supports muscle growth and repair.
It’s why bodybuilders often use it when cutting due to the need to maintain energy and a calorie deficit simultaneously.
Maintaining a calorie deficit is the key factor in cutting body fat percentage and losing weight. The larger the deficit, the faster you’ll lose weight.
Of course, if your deficit is too big, you’ll feel awful, and your body won’t have what it needs to function, which can be dangerous if it is not maintained in the long run.
Creatine provides an extra source of energy, thus allowing you to expend more energy when tackling those big resistance training sessions. Crucially, creatine doesn’t contain any calories of note.
Over time, you can use creatine to maintain your energy levels while working out more to produce a more significant calorie deficit. And that’s what leads to stripping away those layers of body fat.
Can creatine cause weight gain?
Watch the scales and your weight will naturally fluctuate, but could it be down to using creatine?
The truth is that creatine has been associated with weight gain. The weight gain might be fast in some cases, but before you panic, this isn’t more of the fat you’re trying to lose.
According to the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, creatine supplementation didn’t increase fat mass [10].
Instead, the weight gain is caused not by fat but by muscle hypertrophy and water weight.
For example, if you’re regularly lifting weights as part of resistance exercise, it’s natural to see your body weight increase because your muscles are growing.
Likewise, you will gain weight if you drink lots of fluids. It’s the same reason you’re lighter first thing in the morning.
In short, creatine might cause some temporary weight gains, but it doesn’t impact fat loss. It’s purely a side effect of how it influences water retention in cells and your growing muscles. It’s really a change to your body composition.
Potential side effects of creatine
Some workout supplements are known for their side effects. Thankfully, this isn’t the case with creatine.
It’s one of the most well-studied supplements available on the market, and there’s never been a replicable study showing any significant side effects from creatine.
Sadly, if you have a quick browse online, you’ll find people claiming that creatine causes dehydration and cramps.
No study has supported this, but preliminary research has already suggested that exercising in high temperatures could reduce dehydration and cramps [11].
There’s also a persistent myth that creatine causes liver and kidney damage. Again, this is false, and no study has ever backed it up.
Either way, it’s still recommended that if you’ve got a pre-existing condition affecting the kidneys or liver, you should get in touch with your doctor as a precaution.
If we evaluate all the available evidence, creatine is safe to take, which is why it’s such a popular option worldwide.
How to take creatine
Ready to increase muscle mass, strength, and power? Creatine is simple to incorporate into your weight loss regime.
We’ll examine how to take it as part of a maintenance and loading phase.
Taking creatine for a loading phase
Creatine loading is the process of taking a high dose of creatine to maximise your body’s creatine stores and enable you to see progress in the gym earlier.
A classic loading phase formula is to take 4 scoops of 5 grams for 5-7 days. Of course, taking multiple doses daily can be more inconvenient than opting for a maintenance phase.
Taking creatine for a maintenance phase
In contrast, taking creatine for a maintenance phase can be more convenient since you only need to take it once or twice a day.
Naturally, you’ll take longer to see results because you’re not saturating your body from day one.
The classic maintenance dose is 3-6 grams of creatine daily, which can be taken in one go. At this rate, it will take roughly 26 days to maximise your body’s creatine stores.
What’s the best way to take creatine?
The quickest way to get results from taking creatine is to opt for 20 grams daily over an initial 7-day loading phase.
Following this option will maximise your creatine stores before switching to a maintenance phase of 3-6 grams of creatine daily.
Of course, everyone’s different, so what works for one person won’t work for someone else.
If you’re preparing to take creatine for the first time, get in touch with your doctor if you’ve got any pre-existing conditions so that you can get the all-clear.
If you’re already taking creatine and your weight loss journey isn’t going how you planned it, Pilot might be able to help.
Our weight loss program combines evidence-backed solutions with support from our team of health coaches and the broader community of like-minded men who will keep you accountable.
With access to medical professionals on-demand, our program can transform your relationship with food, maximise your workout time, and ultimately help you achieve your weight loss goals.
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