I brought some creatine supplement form Hardcore?purtian Pride. I was then told that it would make be look bloated. Is that true. If so does that defeat the purpose. I taking about 6 grams a Day.
PS I am about 7 week into a BFL challenge. I lost about twenty pound but now by weight is stablizing.

I have heard that too. I was on it for awhile. Didn't really notice any positive difference so stopped taking it along with all other supplements other than whey protein for the occasional shake. I think most supplements are way overhyped & not necessary.

Way to go on your 20lb loss! Now you should focus on lean muscle vs body fat as your progress measurement vs just scale weight.

Awesome success.

Why did you buy the creatine? What were you hoping to accomplish? What did you know about it before you purchased it?

Here's a little tip: focus on the basics. Don't get stuck in supplements and those things because none of them will change the outcome. Seriously. I know the label will claim you'll gain oogles of muscle or shed fat magically, but that's what marketing is all about.

In 10 years of coaching people to lose fat, as well as meeting many extraordinary people who lost hundreds of pounds and totally changed their life, I never met a single person who felt their success came from a supplement. In fact, 100% of them would say their success did or would have happened without any supplements.

So it's not a question of creatine good or bad - it's a question of what/why? It's not necessarily bad for you, but what were you expecting it to do? If you're not already gaining muscle, it's not going to help you. If you are already gaining muscle, then you wouldn't need it either.

I agree with imzwact ... most supplements are a lot of hype. I actually wrote my research paper on creatine to receive my certification as a specialist in performance nutrition. It turns out creatine works great if you are an elite athlete who trains hours every day, have access to the top coaches and strength training programs in the world and do nothing but train for a living. It can actually give you a little additional edge for building muscle over the competition. But without all of those fundamentals in place (good nutrition, top notch training, etc) it does little more than possibly bloat some people and add some water to your muscle cells.

I would also like to add that when one is starting a change or a challenge I think it best to go the first year without any suppliments before one even considers them. I felt for me, how could I guage my accomplishments on what I did alone versus something that would boost my energy level or cause any other changes in my challenge. That way one can really see the effect or non effect the suppliments have on you.
Troy

All I ever found is that it added a water bloat. And I felt terrible when I used it for a week. It was a time in my life when i was real desperate to do anything to grow muscles.

Funny thing is I was doing about 30 minutes 3 times a week of training at best. No supplement in the world...even steroids will help you unless you are willing to push beyond the piddly limits your mind puts on you...

I work hard make it fun and just eat right. Its all you really need. If you want to buy my leftover miracle fat burning muscle building supps I will make you a good deal LOL

Jamcd711 ---- Congrats on the 20 pounds GONE!! WAY TO GO!!!

Jeremy ~ Thanks for the info on creatine and asking us questions we wouldn't normally consider before making such a purchase. Have you heard of or had experience with it being used for neurodegenerative disorders?

~Sharen~

I have Sharen, currently it's in trial right now. My doctor has me taking a tbsp. daily to help with the arthritis in my spine. And my Dad was mentioning that his doctor wants him to take it because it would help his Parkinson's Disease.

Actually I've heard positive things about that.

Will Brink is a great author who has written about many health benefits, his theory is it is more beneficial for vegetarians/vegans than people who already have a moderate amount of flesh meat in their diet.

Thank for the info. since I brought it I will continue to use it but I will not purchase any fore.

Sorry I do not agree with you about the creatine , it is still excellent. Heck it was Bill Phillips that really introduced it to the world and when he first started promoting it he had many ordinary people get great results. The same holds true today as long as you get quality creatine

Dragonchi is right, I can remember loading on creatine in 1996 for my first week, before I started my weight training and I can tell you this, my chest was actually getting tighter as if I had done a workout. Be sure and load up on more water then normal or you will start cramping up.

I used creatine on my very 1st BFL challenge in 1999 and I loved it.
Stopped using it for a long time & just started back on it 3 weeks ago when I got serious about this challenge. For ME...I think it helps. My gains in strength have been really good(and Im losing inches & not scale wieght) but I honestly cant say its only BECUZ of the creatine. (Im using other supplements too) Hard work, lotsof sweat & tears in the gym account for it too

Ive always used EAS Phosphagen & have never had any problems with bloating/feeling sick etc but I do definatley increase my water intake while Im using it.

Here is a link for a free ebook from Will Brink on the benefits of creatine for everyone
http://www.brinkzone.com/downloads/wbrink/creatine.pdf

It's important to do your homework on any supplement before you make the decision to add it in. With the wide range of products available today, there is a corresponding glut of data. Just about any program/product out there has studies supporting or refuting it. Creatine is no different.

First and foremost- no supplement will offset junky nutrition or poor workouts. Supplements are not magic bullets. They do not do the work for you. I strongly encourage anyone who is starting a workout/nutrition program to go at least 12 weeks before adding more than a meal replacement and multi-vitamin.

With that, on to creatine. There is a glut of studies that show creatine provides documented benefit when combined with interval based training programs (like Body for Life). For endurance athletes the results are more mixed. (ACSM 1998) (JSCR 2003) In about 20 percent of cases, people have been found to be non-responsive to creatine supplementation (ACSM 2000) (JSCR 2004)

Do your own research, look for peer reviewed studies from major scientific journals and organizations. You work hard for that money, so spend wisely. I would suggest taking a little time to get your fitness program going. As you start to challenge yourself more with intense intervals, then start to use creatine to help support and augment your results if you so choose. Again, DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK. Look, read, and be an educated consumer. Understand that people who say they have not seen benefit from creatine may be in that 20% of non responders. Anicdotially I've used creatine since 2001 with excellent results and find it a great support component to my lifting program.

Good luck, and remember your workouts, mindset and nutrition are the solid foundation your progress are built on. Supplements do just that. They supplement, they don't substitute.

--Clara

Sources:

American College of Sports Medicine 1998 position paper

Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 17(4):822-831, November 2003.
RAWSON, ERIC S. 1; VOLEK, JEFF S. 2

Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 18(3):610-617, August 2004.
SYROTUIK, DANIEL G.; BELL, GORDON J.