Started my fitness journey from sedentary to strength training 5 days a week and 3mg of Creatine certainly got me on my way. After 2 weeks, I felt so strong and was progressively overloading consistently. I'm now on 5mg after 6 months and am still building strong. I'd never not take Creatine now! Any women who strength trains, should be taking it - alongside a high protein diet, of course. Love this video - we need to keep squashing the myth that it makes you gain weight!!! aaah! lol x
Creatine supplementation can cause water retention in the beginning which would lead to a slight weight gain (about 1-3kg), but only until your body has adapted :) the rest of the weight gain after that should be MUSCLE GAAAAINNNSSS
@@sncnutrition7118 An old bad mechanistic assumption that has been addressed specifically by several studies since the 90s (when that myth gain popularity). The information we have today is that it may only affect the early onset of male pattern baldness if it already runs in your genetics. And the effect, if any, is expected to be rather low. For example, if you are naturally going to be bald at 25, taking creatine could mean you are bald at 22 or 23 instead. The origin of this myth is data that tied supplementing creatine with a slightly higher generation of a hormone called DHT, which is a metabolite of testosterone. However, in the more recent and higher quality studies, in which DHT and free testosterone are actually measured, there are no findings that support a causal link. In fact, in at least one study, the placebo group ended up with a higher increase in DHT compared to the creatine group, suggesting there is likely another reason, such as working out itself, behind why there is often an increase in DHT and free testosterone. In short, if today you still think creatine makes you go bald, you haven't been keeping up to date with the evidence. Personally, even if it does take 5 years away from a head full of hair, its beneficial effects on brain function (literally makes you smarter and delays dementia and Alzheimer's), kidney function (of particular interest to people with poor kidney function) and musculoskeletal system (delays osteoporosis, prevents injuries, linked to improved cartilage health...) are more than enough to make up for it. Oh yeah, also linked to lower all cause mortality....... Literally makes you live longer.
I love creatine. I just take it the day before my workout and it gives me about 1 or 2 reps extra which obviously improves strength in the long run. Very happy with it. Only issue is don't worry too much about the scales - it does attract water into the body which will make you slightly heavier.
I recently started talking creatine and so far I haven't experienced any bloating or really anything but it does upset my stomach for a couple hours after I take it. Nothing terrible but it is noticeable. I've had many friends say they get acne with it. I haven't experienced that though. What I do get is a much better pump! I can lift a good bit heavier and do more reps when I lift lighter.
Perfect timing! I just finished a nutritional diet to lose weight since that was my main focus. The downside was that I lost all of my strength😢 so I now want to start a strength focused program to regain my strength back. I’ve been wanting to try creatine to help ❤
Hi Meg- thank you for this video! Helps us women A LOT! Can you please do another video of your supplement regimens and WHY you take them. Also what supplements you pair together. You probably already have one of these but if you can do another one???
AND ALSO- do you have any advice for us women who have also been considered “thicker” in society’s terms? I have been an athlete my whole life ( I am 38 years old) and have always been looked at as thicker because I have muscle mass. I have always gotten the comment of “oh you must be a softball player” or maybe you should cool it on the weights…. Very frustrating, it never really let it bother me cuz I looked at the comments as well at least I look strong. I am a mother of 4 and have had 6 knee surgeries. I have a pretty good weight training routine going on and have dabbled in CrossFit BUT love weightlifting/ bodybuilding more. I just wish I could see more muscle. My diet is getting a lot better, but just have always struggled with actually seeing muscle… does that make sense? Do you have any advice for other women like me??
Sounds like you’re fit and strong, and know your stuff! Try not to worry what other people think of you, especially if you enjoy the sports that are going to make you more muscular. To reveal your muscle and look more lean it does come down to diet. Diet, a little bit of cardio and genetics.
I am not a lifter but have very low creatinine (despite eating a high protein diet) as well as a number of other deficiencies, from 30 years of chronic infections. I hope to start adding in Creatine and start to stop wasting away :)
I hope you rock your wedding dress this month! Just joined your channel a couple of days ago and appreciate the content you put out. As a Texas girl myself, I wish I was closer to your location and could workout at your gym! First time looking into true strength training. I actually got on your channel from your preggo videos and truly appreciated those. The helped reduce my anxiety when it comes to family planning and still working out. Keep it going @Megsquats!
Wow, this is a really weird comment section. That being said, thank you for this vid! I just started taking creatine again after maybe 14 months off. I had a submuscular BA last year and have been worried about how the muscle hardening would affect my implants. I haven't found anyone talking about how creatine would affect submuscular implants, but I imagine that might be because most lifters who do get a BA get them over the muscle. One of the great things about creatine is that if it starts to have any sort of unwanted effect, you can just stop taking it, so why not give it a shot!
Wondered about whether it is fine to take as a new lifter (i.e. 3 months into lifting consistently 3x a week) or whether it's better to 'max out the noob gains' before going on creatine? I don't imagine it makes much difference but keen for thoughts.
I remember creatine bloat back in the late 90s early 00s... Was very reluctant to try it again - but in my 50th year, no bloat and I use (what I use and is good for me) I prefer tri-creatine Malate (works for some, not others) as for brands, im in eastern europe (some say central) and we have BioTech USA (Hungarian compnay) I use their creatine and EAAs (they also have some jam up protein bars that are like eating snickers... nuts, crunchy, etc. - first bars that dont have a 'bar' look or taste) Not sure you can really get it stateside though... good luck with whatever you guys/gals use. Remember to listen to your body...
I stopped taking it because I felt like it was causing dehydration and cause irritation with my celiac disease in my intestines. I could never drink enough water to get on top of it. My kidneys were crying. I tried 5mg and 2.5
Hey Meg! Hope You’re well, I am based in the uk and was trying to get some of your supplements and hoodie from buff chick, however its so expensive to ship here, any chances you’d be opening an international buff chick that’s not just based in the US? Love the video btw
I gained 2-3 lbs of water weight after after starting to take creatine. It did not go away. I stopped taking it and shortly after the water weight (consistently) showed the creatine was making me hold a few lbs of water.
@@-m7048 you waste money. Unless we’re talking something ridiculous like 3 figures in grams per day, and maybe not even then, your body will dispose of excess effectively. Note that higher doses may be needed for full cognitive benefits vs. muscle benefits.
Only thing i worry about is if it'll cause my face to look fuller because of the muscles in my face retaining water like the rest of my muscles (don't mind it in the other muscles though). But yeah i dont want it to take the lean look out in my face. Anybody have this experience?
I started taking 5g of creatine a few days ago, and I've been getting nauseous, like so nauseous I couldn't do anything and had a terrible stomach ache for hours. I took it after I ate breakfast, but am wondering if I needed to eat a lot more before I took it. So today I'm trying it in the afternoon in a smoothie that has protein, and a little fat from peanut butter! Hopefully I don't get nauseus, I want to continue taking creatine! I also noticed my mouth is more dry than usual, I've been trying to drink more water, might try some electrolytes and see if that helps.
Hi! The dryness is normal (although two days is a bit fast), some people report it. It can last up to 3 weeks. That's because your muscle cells are drawing more hydration (volumising effect of creatine). I'd say don't bother with the electrolytes, unless you really like them. Drink some more water than normal until the dryness goes away, and you'll be right as rain. Your urine might also be a bit darker, and again, will only be for up to 3 weeks. Feeling nauseated is not that common, it could be a coincidence, a nocebo effect or you might be very unlucky and be an outlier with regards to creatine supplements. If you are feeling anxious about supplementing, leave it for now and come back to it when you are feeling confident. As always, try to eat whole foods and prioritise your fruit and vegetables - rich in water and fibre. Should help you with your nausea. Alternatively, you can try other forms of creatine (although monohydrate is the cheapest and most studied). In particular, creatine hydrochloride (HCL) can saturate your muscles with a smaller dose, and it might be a good alternative for you to try. It's a bit more expensive, but it'll be well worth it if it takes the nausea away.
@Johnny Long that’s helpful information thank you!!! I did lower it to around half the scooper size and have been having it before bed in hot water and have not been feeling what I previously did. Appreciate it
@@julianzacconievas thank you so much for the awesome information!!! I halved the amount I was taking and have been taking it before bed and I am feeling much better doing this. I also don’t eat a lot of meat so I also assumed my body was overwhelmed with all the creative coming in at once
Took creatine a few years ago, man the strength I had but I would bloat and retain water, so uncomfortable. Tried again and the same thing. Then tried creatine hydrochloride, it’s disgusting, no bloating til about month two. I give up. The bloating is uncomfortable and not aesthetically pleasing
Tried this, creatine monohydrate. 3 grams, had HORRID gas and stomach rumblings. Hung in there for a month but couldn’t do it anymore. Definitely felt benefits in my running and lifting re: energy, but I couldn’t be around other people (including my husband) as the gas was a problem. Tried the creatine HCL and the gas wasn’t quite as bad, but the stomach rumbling was 24/7 and even woke me up at night! What am I doing wrong?
Have you tried creatine made with ®Creapure? That's the best and purest creatine that exists. Give it a try. It's more expensive but it's the real deal.
Thanks meg for taking the time to explain it to such detail. One more qn - for those of us who take hot coffee as "pre", is it okay to add creatine to hot drinks? Or would the heat mess with the effects?
To whoever is reading.. I'm 20 and my weight is only 36, I've been doing every single thing to gain weight but it doesn't help at all.. So if I take creatine and workout, will it help me gain weight?.. I don't mind if it's just fat or whatever cause gaining fat is much better than looking like a skeleton..
Creatine won't help with weight gain. If you have a lot of muscle you will get a little heavier from the muscle containing more water, but not any lean or fat mass (other than more reps = more muscle in the long run if you eat enough, but I think it's like 2 lbs more over a year or something). Everything weight based comes from calories in/calories out. If you have trouble gaining weight the only thing you can do is track you calories and up them with 20% and see what the scales gives you back over time. If nothing, keep upping until you're gaining weight. This could be done in anything from 2 - 4 weeks intervalls to have a good track of where you're maintenance is and how much you need to eat to gain weight. I don't know what 36 means really, but if you truly look like a skeleton it may sound like you have an eating disorder and I would recommend looking for professional help if that may be the case. Psychiatrist and dietician combo maybe.
It feels like there are quite a bit of providers out there that still believe the “creatine causes kidney issues” myth. Mine is one of them! I went in for a physical earlier in the year, got bloodwork and found some flagged blood markers (like creatinine, eGFR). She told me creatine is essentially causing my kidney function to shut down to stage 3 kidney disease and wanted me to get off of it before doing follow up work. She knows I have no health issues and knows I am a strength athlete but still blamed it on creatine. I complied, went off of it for a few days and did another round of bloodwork. Lo and behold, everything is perfect again. Like, if someone actually had kidney disease of that caliber, wouldn’t there still be flagged blood markers after removing creatine for a few days?
High doses of creatine could cause fluid retention and, chronically, may even cause kidney damage, which was shown in one study involving a weightlifter. Further, the body is very adept at finding balance and maintaining homeostasis. Therefore, supplementing with any exogenous compounds, in particular a high amount over a long period, may cause the body to make less which could result in a number of imbalances, leading on to health issues and comorbidities. So, the takeaway is moderation. Supplements (save for trace and macrominerals) may be better cycled to ensure homeostasis. But you cannot maintain good health without a consistent healthful dietary lifestyle. The issue is everyone knows best and is telling everyone else what that is, even though we are all different. But one thing we could all benefit from is variety and more variety. Listen to your body. Because it speaks to you
So does height need to be considered when dosing? I’m 5ft 2 and am taking 3g right now, I was too nervous to take 5mg! My thinking wqs, I probably wouldn’t need the same dosage as someone that is 6ft 2? Or am I over complicating this?😂 love you Meg! Your app has been tremendous for the gains for me!!!!
Is this something someone who works out at home with a small dumbbell set could take? Off days are bike rides or walks or sometimes just riding the couch lol
Absolutely! Even if you don't exercise, it's wonderful to prevent sarcopenia and it also helps in keeping people alert, say if you didn't get enough sleep. There are also studies that suggest that creatine can help with Alzheimers and dementia.
She didn’t take it while breastfeeding for the reason that there has been no studies to support it or go against it…. So it’s up to you! I’m pregnant and I’m a weightlifter, so I stopped. I won’t be breastfeeding so after the postpartum recovery period and majority of water retention loss, I will be coming back to it. It’s sad that not enough Research has been done for us Girls right?
This was a really interesting video & comments. I started taking creatine, was taking 5g a day for about 2/3 months then all of a sudden I had the worst bloating ever, it was like I was 6 months pregnant. This was 1week before my wedding, not good. I stopped the creatine and haven’t experienced the bloating since.
I've been taking creatine for over a week now, and my muscles are definitely defining more. But I have experienced alot of bloating. But I also have a very sensitive ibs stomach
"good powder" Take it/Take it daily! You older folks.. you will greatly benifit from daily creatine regimine. You dont have to be a weightlifter or athlete, but your results will be better if you do exersize.
I started taking creatine but had to go down to 2g a day since I get an upset stomach. Even with the 2g I'm still getting upset stomach, could it be the brand I'm using?
Well it’s her products and her company, that’s how she earns money 😂 everyone on social media are promoting AG Greens, surfshark and many others but Meg promotes her own business which I think it’s better. Also she’s always saying like in this video that “if you choose other brand choose monohydrate” so I think it’s nice and fair of her. Also this video was full of important knowledge and at the end info about her product which i think is logical. No hate from me as I don’t believe it’s good for anyone but I don’t really get your point. All the best!
I mean given that she owns businesses that sell different things I’m sure she wants people to know what they have to offer while educating at the same time. And it’s only been the last couple of vids the ones before were about other stuff
@@edafade i can see your point but social media became one big marketplace. For sure she’s promoting her products but I still think there is some balance here. She’s not talking about exact ingredients in her créatine, how it was tested and all that, more about usages and pros/cons. I think having her products is the inspiration for a lot of content but I don’t think it’s bad. For me for example I know I won’t buy it because shipping to my country is too expensive and I’d rather buy local product. But it’s good knowledge and I like her way of doing content here :)
Hmm…There is a common misconception that taking creatine supplements can cause the body to stop producing creatine naturally, maybe from the fact that when the body has a high level of creatine, the production of creatine may slow down. However, this is a natural response to maintain a balance of creatine in the body, and it does not mean that the body has stopped producing creatine altogether. At least that’s what so far studies outcomes seem to conclude 😄 Let’s just not go overboard with intake…sweet spot.
I heard that creatine shouldn't be combined with caffeine - there's a video by Jeremy Ethier on this - is this true? And if so, should it be spaced apart from my morning coffee or not taken at all while caffeinated?
There are some people that say to not take creatine with caffeine. Is this correct? I really wanted to take it in the morning with my pre-workout. They say that caffein cancels out the effects of creatine.
It isn't shown that the only causation is the "Extra reps" that creatine allows you which in turn you speculate is the sole reason for more muscle mass. What has been shown is that creatine supplementation in combination with strength training leads to increased muscle tissue compared to a placebo group. Part of the mechanism MAY be the increased reps but part may also be due to increased intra cellular water retention (inside the muscle cells, the opposite of "bloating") OR other unknown mechanisms. For example, it has been shown to act as an anti-oxidant and lots of studies are going on for elderly people with neural deficiencies where creatine might help. So it has other effects of the body than just the direct effect as a temporary energy raising substrate. Anyway, the total "energy level" of available ATP (or phospate to recycle ATP from ADP to be precise) is raised in the body for just about every cell. The side benefits of just that may be profound in a positive way. Creatine as a general health supplement (not as an ergogenic aid for sports) IS the focus of studies right now!
I’m 6mo PP and exclusively breastfeeding. I workout 4/5 times a week (strength weight training) and I’m wanting to start Creatine but like a lot of things regarding BF moms, I can’t find a definitive answer on if it’s okay for me to take while I am BF. Would you suggest I take it ?
You can’t get an answer because it’s not studied - so no evidence to suggest that it’s safe for mom/baby. People speculate there are benefits - and there has been one recent study showing cognitive benefits during pregnancy (I’ll have to double check details). I didn’t use while breastfeeding - I would discuss with doctor!!
I feel like the idea of creatine loading (my idea, never heard it anywhere) is that say im about to start a 12-week program, i can load up before hand and then get the benefits as soon as the program starts, rather that starting with 5g dose at the beginning and waiting a week or 2 to really get the benefits of it. Idk just my theory.
I have lost 50+p and now I have lots of skin how can I fix it any RU-vid videos workout plan you can post or recommend and also what vitamins to take for woman besides this. I’m 38yeats old 5’7” 149-150p. And going to gym every day to fix my ex-skin
Do a lot of strength training to build muscle and little cardio. Eat a high protein diet and of course take 3-5 grams of creatine. The best creatine Is the One made with ®Creapure from Germany.
Don’t double dose at the beginning. Use the normal, standard recommendation. Use it for a few weeks. If strength and recovery have not improved, up it just a bit by 1 mg. Never double dose on anything without doing more research.
anything over the amount your body can handle or needs is pissed out... so youre pissing money down the toilet.... The research on this has been around for about 25 years
The bloating is just insane on me, it's just ugly as shit. I get more than 3 kg (~7 lbs) of water for almost any gains, doing one or two more reps is just anecdotal, just doing an extra set and your volume is already better. It's just a fucking placebo!
