Does Creatine Increase Appetite?

As you get bigger from creatine intake, it might seem natural that you worry whether you will get hungrier than before. However, the problem isn’t excessive eating, but gaining a lot of pounds when you aim to remain fit and muscular. So, is it really good if you have an increased appetite for creatine?

But the bigger issue here is to confirm does creatine increases appetite.

Creatine alone doesn’t increase appetite. However, creatine can lead to various changes which might cause the body to crave extra calories. This happens when we are exercising more, and the muscles increase. In some cases, there might be other bodily factors to increase hunger.

Learn more about creatine intake and its effects to understand why you feel more hungry and whether you need to change your diet.

Does Creatine Increase Appetite?

There is no evidence to prove that creatine can increase appetite. Research has found no connections between the two factors.

However, there might be a reason why you would feel ravenous or extra hungry while on creatine. Some studies have proven that creatine might be responsible for increasing appetite, if not a lot.

So, the increased appetite may come from long-term creatine intake and your lifestyle plans, like a high-sugar and carb diet.

Besides, creatine will increase your activity, which will cause faster calorie consumption, although creatine does not have calories. So, you must eat soon to cover for the used-up calories.

Reasons for Hunger While on Creatine

Creatine can lead to other changes in the body, which might make you feel hungry more often. Most of these happen when you are exercising more and gaining more muscles.

More Energy

Since creatine offers more ATP, your muscles will have more energy to work harder. This means you will burn calories faster. When your body is out of sufficient calories, you will feel hungry.

Type of Food

Many trainers take carbs before workouts. Extra carbs and creatine will double your energy for training longer. Carbs are also easier to use so you will feel hungry soon.

However, it all depends on your timing of food intake. If you eat before workouts, it will digest faster. So, the increased appetite might be because of insufficient food intake.

Increased Muscle Mass

Creatine will increase your lean muscles, so your body will need more calories for the new body weight. Along with intense exercises and faster energy consumption, appetite will rise through the roof. So, adjust your calories according to the new bodily changes.

Does Creatine Make You Gain Weight?

If you experience increased appetite, you will eat more, gaining weight. But many people are worried that creatine intake can make them gain some pounds. While true, this weight doesn’t come from body fat and goes away soon.

Water Weight

Creatine will cause the stomach muscles to draw in water to digest excess creatine. This will lead to water retention in the muscle cells. You will feel bloating and chubbiness in your arms, legs, and belly. You might think that you have become fat instead of muscular.

Muscle Mass

When enough creatine is stored, you will train more to grow bigger muscles. This will make you look bulky and have more body weight. You will also notice that the swelling from water weight is fading. So, the extra weight isn’t harmful.

Other Factors

Weight gain can also happen due to fat, unfortunately. If you don’t maintain a healthy diet while on creatine and don’t exercise enough, then you won’t burn enough calories. Excess calories will make you gain extra pounds.

To avoid weight gain, you must maintain a balanced diet with less sodium and carbs and drink around 4 to 5 liters of water daily.

How to Reduce Weight from Creatine?

You don’t need to worry if the increased appetite after creatine intake has made you gain some pounds. Most of the time, it’s just water weight that will go away. Ask your nutrition expert to create a diet based on your creatine dose and activities. In addition, drink a lot of water to prevent water retention.

You can also try to stop creatine or lower the dosage temporarily. Your body will remove the excess so that you feel less hungry but with enough energy to exercise. Resume after a month with 3 to 5g creatine daily.

Does Creatine Increase Metabolism?

Creatine has a role in increasing metabolism, for which you have better digestion. You also digest and burn calories faster to avoid increasing body fat. You are training for long hours as you increase muscles from creatine intake. This also means that you are absorbing faster.

Other Reasons for Increased Appetite

Apart from creatine, some other factors may also increase appetite that you can confuse with creatine intake.

Age and Hormonal Changes

At every age, especially in the teens, you will experience hormonal changes. Along with the changes, your body will also require some calories to adjust. This can leave you feeling hungry.

If you are wondering, does creatine increase testosterone, the answer is yes. Sometimes, creatine can cause hormonal changes, especially in testosterone and DHT levels.

Elements Added with Creatine

Some consumers add flavored drinks or sweeteners to the creatine drink for better taste. But excess sugar intake in this way would increase your appetite easily. Check whether flavored creatine can do the same.

Anabolic Steroids

One thing is to confirm that creatine is not a steroid. But, If you take any steroids with creatine, you also feel an increase in appetite. Steroids are said to burn calories faster as you have increased energy. So, you need more food to adjust.

FAQ

Do you lose appetite?

Creatine’s only function is to work as an energy reservoir, connecting with the muscle cells. An increase or decrease in appetite can happen due to other bodily changes. There is no connection between creatine with these factors that can cause you to lose your appetite. 

Does creatine help with weight loss?

You won’t lose or gain weight from taking creatine. However, creatine will offer you enough energy to exercise for longer hours. This will cause you to burn more calories. So, if you work out a lot with creatine intake, you will lose some pounds.

Can creatine make you thirsty?

Creatine needs a lot of water for digestion. So, if you don’t drink enough, it will draw in water from the surrounding muscles. Hence, you will feel thirsty more often. This can be confused with hunger sometimes while training.

Final Words

So, by taking creatine, you won’t eat a lot initially. If you feel an increase in appetite, this can happen due to other factors and changes in the body after taking creatine. In some cases, creatine can lead to certain changes as well. This includes an increase in activity which causes you to burn calories faster.

You will need to adjust your diet plan according to creatine intake. In case of creatine intake will cause you to gain body fat or other problems, then you can stop taking it or take it in small amounts. Overall, increased appetite is no threat to your goals for creatine supplementation.