Which flavor of creatine to take?

[scootermaster]

So, I've taken BSN CellMass before, with inconclusive results. I DID gain some weight (that never went away) but my weight seems to go in jumps every couple of years anyway. Like, four years ago, I was 190 to around 196. Then one day, I was just 205 pounds. And I never lost it. I got up to 212 (I'm 6'4", by the way) when I was on CellMass, and now I'm pushing somewhere between 206 and 210.

My workout journal is here too.

Anyway, so I'm thinking about going on another supplement(s). Money isn't really an object here. I mean, it is, but I'll pay for quality and "ease of use" if needed.

NO Xplode? CellMass? CellTech?

I think I want to avoid weight gainers -- although I do have a problem gaining weight -- mostly because I'm deathly afraid of getting fat. And at the ripe old age of 30, I don't know if I can take off the weight as quickly.

Anyway...thoughts?

 

[crt1530]

If you want to gain weight, eat more food.

 

[NGC_604]

..

 

[scootermaster]

Originally posted by: energydan
I would check out what people are saying at Bodybuilding.com forums regarding the supplement you are thinking of taking. I'd trust those a lot more than any of the reviews at vitamin/supplement shops.

There are some other things I've seen, like bodybuildingforyou.com and supplementreviews.com or whatever (these are just google hits) and I swear, it sounds like they're written by twelve year olds. And, also, the reviewers seem to have experience with EVERY supplement, and things seem to always be positive. So it makes me think they're just set up as nothing but referral links to try and sell stuff.

And as far as weight is concerned, I have a very unhealthy relationship with my scale...when it goes up, I feel like I'm getting fat. When it goes down, I feel like I'm losing muscle. So I'm never really happy.

My problem is, I have, for the most part, "skinny people" genes. But I am 30, and I do eat Taco Bell and drink beer (although I don't do either in particular excess) and, up until very recently, did NO CARDIO WHATSOEVER. So, as a result, I'm deathly afraid of getting fat, because if I do, I don't know if I'll have the willpower to lose weight. So I probably don't eat enough to gain [serious] weight. Now that I'm doing some cardio, I probably should start eating more, and just trust myself that if I get a little pudgy, I'll be able to slim down. It's also just summer time, and I spend about 95% of that with my shirt off, so putting on extra layers isn't really want I want to do.

 

[KoolDrew]

How's your diet look? Are you getting enough protein, fish oils, and vitamins?

 

[scootermaster]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
How's your diet look? Are you getting enough protein, fish oils, and vitamins?

I take -- and have for awhile now -- 2 shakes of ON a day, with 2 scoops each. My breakfast consists of some sort of whole grain cereal (kashi, grapenuts, smart start), since I worry about getting enough fiber. My lunch is usually in two parts; some sort of sandwich at like 1, and a terikaki bowl or something at 4. Sometimes it's some leftovers for one, and something snacky like reduced-fat triscuits and low-fat salami for the other. Dinner varies; going out, or cooking chicken, or making mexican food, or boboli or whatever. I don't really ever eat beef, except for when I'm eating out; it's all chicken or ground turkey if I'm feeling frisky. I eat a lot of Dennison's low-fat chilli, which is really yummy and good for you (although it has a ton of salt).

So, it's debatable whether or not I get 200+ grams of protein a day. There's about 100 from those two shakes. Maybe another 15-20 from breakfast. Maybe another 30 from lunch part 1 (two slices of bread, three slices of turkey, some salami, salsa, etc). Maybe another 20+ from lunch part 2 (which often includes a Zone bar or some other protein bar). And then dinner. So I try, that's for sure. But I probably get close to it.

I just started taking a costco fish oil cap in the morning, with my Costco performance multi and my morning shake. I also try to remember a fish oil cap in the evening. I've been doing this for about 5 weeks or so.

I'd be happy to go into more detail, or even start a fitday journal...but it's hard to do since often times when I eat out I don't eat at commonly known places. What's the nutrition of Versaille Cuban food, or Thai dishes yellow Curry? Y'know?

 

[scootermaster]

Helllooooo?

 

[Deeko]

This is ATHF...we don't take supplements. We read starting strength and instantly gain 25 pounds

In all seriousness though, don't expect huge differnences from one brand of creatine for another. Personally I'd avoid the ones (*cough* celltech *cough*) that include 75g of sugar per serving. Some people swear by the results they get, some people (like me) so absolutely nothing. So just do a simple monohydrate, and if it helps, great, experiment further, if not, just stick to the basics.

You can read all the articles you want, hear all the testimonials you want. The science behind what creatine is and how it affects the body is obviously well established from a biological standpoint - but supplements are not proven to help. Some people see gains, some don't. if you didn't see anything with one brand, you're probably wasting $60 by going with another.

For the record, I've used 2 different creatines, one monohydrate, one with all the "extras", neither did anything. I've also used no explode to no gains. This doesn't mean it won't help you, but I've seen no personal gain. Just don't bounce from brand to brand thinking you'll see a big change, if the first ones did nothing.

 

[thespeakerbox]

Creatine doesn't come in flavors. Flavored creatine is sold by brands that often other things to the mix, usually for recovery, etc.. Also, creatine does make you gain weight. For me at 6'1 195, i hold about 10lbs of water weight when im on creatine. After I come off of the supp, i quickly lose the 10 lbs.

It really depends on your diet and workout. From what i've read, you should stick with plain creatine monohydrate and add it to a whey shake. I recommend this assuming your regular diet is already in check.

The decision to get a weight gainer is easy. Do you need it or not? Based on your weight you need ~3100 to maintain your current weight. If you absolutely cant fill that with solid food, as a last result, use a weight gainer. Otherwise, you dont need it.

As far as supplements , one should go in this order:

GOOD DIET AND SOLID FOOD WITH TONS OF PROTEIN
A good Multi Vitamin
Whey Protein
Creatine
BCAAs
Arganine or "N.O. boosters"
Prohormones etc (overkill for you probably and also dangerous is you're not educated)

 

[scootermaster]

Originally posted by: thespeakerbox
Creatine doesn't come in flavors. Flavored creatine is sold by brands that often other things to the mix, usually for recovery, etc.. Also, creatine does make you gain weight. For me at 6'1 195, i hold about 10lbs of water weight when im on creatine. After I come off of the supp, i quickly lose the 10 lbs.

It really depends on your diet and workout. From what i've read, you should stick with plain creatine monohydrate and add it to a whey shake. I recommend this assuming your regular diet is already in check.

The decision to get a weight gainer is easy. Do you need it or not? Based on your weight you need ~3100 to maintain your current weight. If you absolutely cant fill that with solid food, as a last result, use a weight gainer. Otherwise, you dont need it.

As far as supplements , one should go in this order:

GOOD DIET AND SOLID FOOD WITH TONS OF PROTEIN
A good Multi Vitamin
Whey Protein
Creatine
BCAAs
Arganine or "N.O. boosters"
Prohormones etc (overkill for you probably and also dangerous is you're not educated)

Well, when I said 'flavor', I didn't mean that literally. I meant "flavor" as in, you know, "type" or "brand". My bad, I guess.

The problem for me is, because I try [and occasionally succeed!] to keep my fat content so low, I likely often don't get the 3100+ calories I need. The solution would be to eat more, and I don't have a problem with that at all, but it's hard to find foods that are reasonably easy to make, low fat, not disgusting, and have other nutrients (protein, fiber, etc). So I guess it's possible I could get some weight gainer stuff and only use it once a week, or whenever I'm not eating enough, but I can probably get by without.

All of that's a side note anyway.

I just remember, before we had an H and F forum, someone (which I remembered who) STRONGLY recommended CellMass. So that's what I took. And by the way, it's not supposed to be mixed with a whey shake, but that's likely because it's a CEE. (And it's annoying that you're not supposed to do that...taking it on an empty stomach, and then not eating for 30 minutes blows).

Anyway, I was just trying to see, now that we DO have a dedicated heath forum, what people had experience with, Creatine wise.

 

[thespeakerbox]

I've done cell mass, controlled labs green mag, straight mono , and size on.

Cell mass is ehh. I dont like the quality of BSN products. Couple that with the servings/price ratios -- its just not there. I think size on is the best performing. The only drawback is that it is known to give some the crapsss. Green mag is on the same level, but the servings/price is just right. It's what i've stuck to and its what i like. I use the whole line , which is White Flood, Green Mag and Purple Wratth. All of the CL products stack up very nicely together.

I wouldnt spend any money unless you can get your diet in check. If you cant find the time to get good food that you can eat and wont complain about, then you might as well just flush your supps down the toilet.

There is alot of great, easy to prepare food out there that you can eat everyday. Trust me. Costco and Sams Club frozen chicke breasts and fish should be your biggest supps. They have tons of good tasting microwave veggies too. Just be thankful its not the 80's anymore.

 

[KoolDrew]

Buy cheap creatine monohydrate. Anything else is just a waste of money.

 

[bactiman]

http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/P...h/0,11475,4045,00.html