Creatine Mono. question

Ok, I've never taken it....and I just bought some.   I didn't want to take it while I was losing weight, because I read that you can gain up to 10 lbs within the first few weeks (water weight gain) of taking it.....is it true?   How long does it take for that weight to come off?  Do I take it before or after a work out?   The directions say to take 1 heaping Teaspoon in some fruit juice before a work out...but it also says you can take it after a work out.....do you take it when you start working out ?  Or an hour before?  an hour after? Any info you guys can give would be great. Scott

Hey Scottie. I started with taking 4 teaspoons per day for the 1st week (loading) spread thru out the day. I mix it with EAS premium protein blend, but it should be taken wth a qualitiy whey protein drink. After the 1st week cut it back to 1 teaspoon per day. I take it within 2 hours post workout. I did not have a significant weight gain. Make sure you drink a lot of water after taking CM. I increased my strength by about 50% since taking CM. Make sure you take in enough quality calories too. Good luck.  Jay

Scotty, Congrats on hitting goal!  In the beginning with the creatine, for best results it's best to go through a "loading phase".  During this period of 5-7 days (I would recommend 7) one should evenly divide approximately 30 grams of Creatine across six servings throughout the course of a day.  After the loading phase you can reduce to two servings of 5-10 grams daily.  Suggestion is to take it 60-90 minutes prior to a workout and then after workouts on lifting days.  On off days, suggest taking two servings, one in the morning and another in the evening. After 3-4 weeks some will take a week off from the creatine due to the body stopping it's own production of natural creatine.  After that week off, then start the loading phase over again.  This is called "cycling".  So you end up with a 4-5 week creatine regimen. If you're a caffeine freak like many of us, you'll want to space your caffeine intake an hour or more from the time you take your creatine.  Caffeine does have its benefits, but it is believed it causes creatine breakdown and will minimize results. This is the regimen I follow - there are other schools of thought.  Cards Fan LOSESMART!   LOSESTRONG!

The how/when question has already been largely answered.  There are studies that show better uptake of creatine with higher insulin from lots of carbs, or from a combination of fewer carbs and some protein.  Consequently, lots of supplement companies sell premixed drinks, and others say take with juice.  I have a simpler recommendation, and it's one you've heard before: take with food.  In the middle of one of my meals, I just put the spoon of powder in my mouth, swi**** with a small amount of water to dissolve it, and drink it down.  Then I finish my meal.  I'm getting the insulin response effect without wasting calories on a special "event" beverage.  And if I can't do that, I just drink it with some crystal light.  The improvement is absorption is like 30% when taken with carbs/protein, so it's not like the stuff is completely wasted if you have it by itself. As to the weight question, yes, you can gain 3-10 pounds (maybe more), and it comes off after you stop taking it, over a month or so, as your creatine levels decline.  If you look at my profile, you'll see my weekly weigh-ins (in the "My Story" section), and it's pretty clear when I started taking creatine again.  After mostly steady loses, I took it in June, and had several rather stagnant weeks after that for the next month (still losses, but much smaller than they would have been I think).  Now things are speeding up again, it seems. I personally don't worry about it too much.  For one, I know that I'm actually "thinner" than my current 259, so who cares what the scale says?  Also, my waist continued to shrink.  So while it is ten pounds of extra dead weight, it is stored in the muscles, largely in my legs, arms, and chest, so it's not like it made me look worse.

As CF suggested you'll want to go through a loading phase of 5 to 7 days so you can saturate your system with Creatine.   After that, and some may dissagree, 5 grams per day is sufficient to support an optimal level in your system.