What does Creatine actually do?
I have heard off a lot of people that say if you are going to take any supplements then Creatine should be at the top of the list.
You really don't need to take creatine, or protein for that matter. Just have a healthy diet and ensure you put a good amount of protein into your meals. I've seen people take supplements and train and get no results and people not take supplements and get great results. The companies that sell them convince people they need them but you really don't. The biggest difference you'll see with creatine is water retention which you lose when you stop taking it anyway. They're expensive, ineffective and unhealthy (your body really doesn't want high concentrations of the stuff). Have a well thought out consistent training regime, keep it up and eat properly and you'll reap the rewards.
Thanks.
My diet is already very good, I eat lots of proteins, good clean carbs and decent fats as well as lots of veg.
I don't eat sugars, much bread or other crap or drink alcohol, but do drink around 2-3ltrs of water per day.
The ONLY supplements I have at the moment are protein shakes to try and get around 200g per day.
I go to the gym 3-5 times per week, trainingdifferent muscle groups.
I have lost around 2.5 stone of fat this year too.
I think its heading in the right direction.
I take no supplements besides omega oil, vitamin d3 and the occasional multivitamin -- things you'd take if you weren't hitting the gym anyway. I lost over 2 stone in weight and more in fat. I don't eat particularly clean (bread, rice, curries, deserts, kebabs, burgers are pretty normal) but this means I'll have somewhere to go if I want to lose more weight; I have factors I can play with. So far, it's not been needed.
I linked this video earlier. It touches on a lot of diet issues. Really good IMO
I'm thinking of buying a kg of protein powder anddoing ~150gr a day to see what that's like...
but is there a limit of how much to take at once before say the body will waste any excess - like should I be taking it 3 times a day @~50gr, or can I simply do the whole lot in one go?
I would consume it 3x per day because your body will use it as it needs it.
If its taken all in one go then it may have been digested before you actually need it.
Don't forget, there are those who argue that you should have numerous meals (about 7) per day for similar reasons, so its exactly the same thing.
Put it another way, would you eat all your days food for your breakfast and nothing more during the day?
Of course you wouldn't, you would eat as you become hungry as that's your bodies way of telling you that it needs food for energy.
You should really be trying to get your protein from foods first as well in my opinion. Supplements are great for topping up but you can be missing out on so many other nutrients and vitamins by relying on a protein supplement rather than eating meats, fish, nuts, etc.
yeah, cheers for that - will order some this after I think... data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
If you use the code 'BLENDER' you get a free mixer as well. Just got the email today.
I agree with Desmo, you should be looking to get your protein from food mainly and using the powders when it's not convenient to use food such as pre training, especially post training as it will digest quicker than food protein when your body will benefit most.
Also do some research as to how much protein you need a day to reach whatever goal you want to achieve,150 gms doesn't sound enough unless you are excluding food
remember the amount you need a day will be a combination of food protein and supplement