The original Battle of the Bulge ended way back in 1944, but there is an ongoing conflict that shares its name with very different participants- human beings VS fat! The battle rages on with no conclusion in sight as a never-ending parade of hopeful techniques like diets, exercises, even surgeries are brought in to try to help people fit into last year’s swimsuit again!
Over the years these efforts have been met with mixed results, and most have been disappointing, but recently there is a new contender that looks like it might really make a difference, the use of creatine supplements to help your body shed those unwanted kilos! Creatine is a naturally occurring substance that is produced by your own body, mostly in the liver and kidneys. Small amounts of creatine can also be found in foods like fish and meat.
So, what does creatine do to help promote weight loss? Creatine is an essential component in the bodily processes that produces energy for our muscles, helping to replenish our supply of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which is basically the juice your muscles need to perform at their peak. Having extra creatine in your system gives your body an extra boost of energy when you are doing your workouts, which helps to burn more calories!
Creatine is very popular with athletes and bodybuilders thanks to its ability to increase muscle power and strength. People who supplement with creatine can enhance their performance during high-intensity workouts, making it so they can push themselves harder, which can lead to more muscle growth and greatly improve their overall athletic performance.
Because creatine increases muscle strength and recovery, supplementation can add to your lean muscle mass, supercharging your metabolism and promoting the loss of fat. To be clear, it’s not the creatine itself that burns fat, its the improved exercise performance it promotes. By maintaining greater energy levels and building the strength of your muscles, creatine allows you to work out harder, resulting in more calories burned and more weight lost. Creatine is not a miracle cure that you can just drink then sit on the sofa and watch the fat melt away, you still need to get up and exercise!
While creatine supplements have been proven to promote significant results in weight loss efforts, it is not a one size fits all solution and the results can vary between individuals. There are some people who experience rapid major improvements in their body’s fat ratio, while some people won’t achieve such dramatic results, but will still find it helps. Let’s take a closer look at how this all works!
Creatine gives your metabolism a boost that can aid in the weight loss process. Because your muscle’s water content is increased by creatine, there will be an attendant rise in your metabolic rate. Having a metabolism that runs at a higher rate causes your body to burn those calories more quickly, which means a greater amount of fat is burned away. Please do not expect miracles though, creatine supplements your body’s natural weight loss ability, but it is still necessary to maintain a healthy diet and engage in regular exercise to make it work!
Creatine can enhance your muscle’s recovery time. When your body is experiencing a calorie deficit it works hard to burn off that excess fat, which can cause sore muscles and decrease your recovery time. Using creatine supplementation enhances your muscle’s ability to recover so you can feel better faster after a heavy-duty workout.
Creatine supplementation boosts your performance when doing high-intensity exercise so you can work out harder and for a longer period of time, burning more calories and losing more fat!
If this sounds great to you, then you might be wondering how much creatine you should be taking to achieve these results? The general dosing recommendation is to begin your program with what is called a “loading phase” of 20 grams per day for the first week. Divide that amount into four 5-gram doses throughout your day. When the loading phase has completed, you can change it to a lighter “maintenance dose” of just 5 grams daily. The recommended timing for your daily doses is just after you have completed your workout routine in order to maximize your body’s absorption of it.
It is once again important to note that creatine supplements must be combined with a healthy, balanced diet and a program of regular exercise for them to be of any benefit to achieving your weight loss goals. You have to make sure that you are consuming plenty of protein, fibre, and healthy fats in your daily meals. You simply must work out with a combination of both cardiovascular exercise and strength training to gain the shape you desire. Creatine is a powerful weapon in your personal weight loss arsenal, but it can’t win the battle of the bulge on its own!
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Eamon