Mocktail Minutes
Mocktail Minutes
A Fat Burning Supplement? Let's Talk About Creatine
Is there really such thing as a fat burning pill? Contrary to pretty much every weight loss marketing scheme, the answer is....no!
But, we do know that having more lean mass (muscle) can help to decrease body fat. Creatine is one of the most widely studied supplements and it has been shown to help build and maintain lean muscle - plus some other pretty cool things!
In this episode we do our best to give you the short and simple details of creatine and why it is the best thing to incorporate if you are looking for a "fat burning" supplement.
If you have questions, or topics that you want to hear about, head over to our Instagrams https://www.instagram.com/nucrewnutrition/ or https://www.instagram.com/themomminnutritionist/ and send us a DM!
If you are interested in working with us in Metabolism Makeover you can sign up here! https://metabolismmakeover.co/programs/metabolism-makeover/earlybird/?affiliate=mocktailminutes
Featured Mocktails:
Kevita - https://www.instagram.com/kevitadrinks/
Bub's Naturals - https://www.bubsnaturals.com/?oid=1&affid=298&utm_campaign=everflow&utm_source=1 use code Brianna20
Click play, sip back, and be empowered.
Hello everyone. Welcome back to this week's episode of Mocktail Minutes. This is Bailey.
Brianna:And this is Brianna.
Baylee:This week I am drinking another Tevita. I got the pineapple peach flavored. This one does taste like beet. It does not, it's not as good as the mojito. I
Brianna:This one tastes like feet.
Baylee:thought I found the kombucha and apparently it's only the mojito one that I like. So there's
Brianna:So that's a no go. This morning, I'm just having some coffee with the Bubz Naturals. I did the collagen and their MCT oil because again, I'm out of like, all creamer, but it's good. I like it. It makes it creamy.
Baylee:I've been also doing, so I got some nut pods. I kind of blacked out in the grocery store the other day and just bought like a bunch of random things, but I bought some nut pods creamer, but I also don't drink coffee every day anymore. So I was like, I don't know what I'm going to use this for. And I got the toasted marshmallow one. And I've been putting that in my smoothies.
Brianna:Ooh,
Baylee:Delicious.
Brianna:that sounds good. I blacked out. I don't know.
Baylee:Josh was like, what happened to you in there? Because it was like one of those trips where I was just running in, we were actually just grabbing cookies real quick. And it was like 45 minutes later. He's like, what happened? Well, I found dairy free Babybel cheese, I think it's Babybel, whatever it was. And then I found a whole dairy free section, and then I found some fun drinks, and then it just went all downhill. It was like, you went in for one thing.
Brianna:Yeah. The store told you what you needed. It just says one of those. I love it.
Baylee:All right, well, today we are going to give a quick rundown on a supplement. So we're going to cover the basics of creatine. This is actually probably one of the most popular supplements. I do recommend or kind of bring up to people. It's one of those things that can, I hate saying this, but like speed up weight loss because it's kind of like a fat burner. So we're going to get into like, what is creatine? How does it work? Do you need it? Do you not need it? All the things, the quick and dirty on creatine today.
Brianna:Well, and I think it's like a joke that we have, like when, cause people will always ask like, what's the best fat burning supplement or like, what can I take for fat burning, like collagen or collagen, creatine guys, it's early creatine, but it's like, because it helps you to build lean muscle and lean muscle is the best way to burn fat. So it's not like it's just zapping your fat, but it's helping you build lean muscle. Yeah.
Baylee:feel like, in a lot of products that are message marketed, goodness, words are hard, marketed as fat burners. But basically, creatine, it is found in foods like your meat and fish, and then it's also produced in your body by amino acids like glycine arginine, methionine, and your pancreas, liver, and kidneys are primarily where creatine is found. Created. So your body can make creatine. We also can get creatine from food, but our foods have a little less creatine, I would say our body can produce like I would say up to around two grams per day. And then it's like a pound of meat. I believe is what it is, is how to get like two, one to two grams from there, depending on what you do. So you do make it, you can get it from food, but yeah, you can also supplement it.
Brianna:And I would say supplementing it. It's okay. Again, always like food forward, but when you look at the research and the amounts that it kind of recommends that you should be getting a day to really have a lot of these benefits, it is going to be a little bit difficult to get that amount from food. Yeah. And I mean, unless you're just like pounding, I don't know, typical bodybuilder diet, maybe right. Which I guess is like most people when they think creatine, they think bodybuilders, but that's because of its benefits with helping you build and maintain lean muscle mass. So it's not just for bodybuilders. It's actually really, really beneficial. And I specifically like for women. Which,
Baylee:Yeah. So like Brian said, a lot of times we see this in the athletic world because of its effects on athletic performance and muscle growth. But there is evidence that has been shown to have potential benefits with cognitive function therapeutic effects with different neurological conditions like Parkinson's and even muscle muscle preservation was kind of part of the athletic world, but I feel like. We all need muscle preservation, especially when like Losing muscle as a time of concern, like in times where injuries or just like age related muscle loss in general, and then creatine can also actually help with energy levels because it plays a role in cellular energy metabolism, and so some people have been like, Oh, I take creatine. I have more energy. So it could benefit you if you feel like you're kind of low on energy And then that could help you like move more or function better throughout your day And then if it has that cognitive effect because creatine is involved in the production of hdp This is essential for brain function. So it kind of works in all these different ways, but basically creatine, like I said, it's found in your foods, you can supplement it, you can make it, but in the body creatine plays a role in supplying energy to your cells, especially your muscle cells. And during those like high intensity, short duration activities, Thinking like weightlifting. So if you've not been living under a rock, listening to our podcast, you know that we love weightlifting and strength training type things. So creatine can help by regenerating ATP, which is adenosine triphosphate. You don't really know, have to know what that means, but it's just. The primary energy for cells it's energy. So by increasing how much ATP we have, creatine can enhance your performance, especially during high intense activity. So that's why it became super popular and the athletic world. But I started taking it and I really noticed a difference. I would say more in like my recovery
Brianna:Oh yeah. Because it helps with recovery. So it aids in like that muscle soreness. It just, you'll notice a difference. So you're, it's helping you gain lean muscle. It's helping you recover, cause a lot of people are like, Oh gosh, is it just like, is it helping me because I feel better and I can lift more, I mean, maybe a little bit, but it really actually does help with recovery. The recovery. And I think this is really important for women because women in general, we have less creatine stores in the body. Then men do this primarily has to do with, because we have less muscle mass than men. So the more muscle mass you have, the bigger your creatine pools are all these things. So women need it. I'm not going to say more than men, but we're kind of like playing a little bit of catch up. Like now the newer research is showing like, Oh, women might actually need higher doses than men because of the lower muscle mass. There's also like a little bit to do with estrogen and progesterone in there. Am I going to like get into that, but The safe amount is like the one that's researched the most and the like consensus says it's like five grams a day of the creatine monohydrate. So most of your creatine supplements are in scoops of five grams. I like clean and I also really like thorn. Those are like my two go tos. safe. It is one of the most studied supplements and it's relatively inexpensive. Like you can get a thing of creatine for, I mean, like less than 20 bucks.
Baylee:I use thorn and I do like half of a scoop and I still have felt benefits from it. So it really, that one really lasts me a long time and with creatine, I feel like when we talk about that, it can help with weight loss. This doesn't mean that you're going to take creatine and this is magic powder. You're not just going to build muscle out of nowhere. If you really want to get, I keep wanting to say teen, toned and lean.
Brianna:How teen do I get teen?
Baylee:Then you can just say creatine and all of a sudden like fat just melts away. Like you still have to put it in work. You're going to get more benefits from it. If you're combining creatine with those like strength training workouts. I mean, you could still take it and you're still going to get the other benefits, like we mentioned the brain functioning, but you're going to see more benefits when you actually. So your muscles work and then,
Brianna:I think that's like a good point because I get this question a lot. It's like, well, if I'm, do I need to take it on days I'm not working out? Or do I need it? Like, what if I'm, you know, skipping the gym this week or I'm on my period or whatever, should I be taking it? I would say yes, because your body is utilizing creatine every day. And you want to really keep those stores built up high, especially when we think about the cognitive function too. So this is where like, I think you were getting into is like, okay, yeah, maybe weight loss is a goal, but like, let's think about what everything else is doing in your body. Like what are the benefits of lean muscle? What are the benefits of like a healthy brain functioning brain? Right. It is going to be more than just like, I took creatine. So now my brain's going to be like fantastic. And I'm going to have all this lean muscle. Like, first of all, you need to be eating enough, right? And you'd be taking care of yourself in the other ways. But this is like a good supplement to be used to supplement your diet, not to be like this magic. I took creatine and oh my God, like I lost all this fat and I'm
Baylee:and that's important to any supplement. It's a supplement meant to add to, or supplement your diet, not to replace. You can't just live off vitamins and minerals or supplements. Like you need actual food too. so if you're like thinking about a creatine supplement, there are actually different types. And the most, I would say, well researched one is creatine monohydrate, and there are other ones, but they kind of work in a similar way, but each one they have its own, like, unique functions, almost, where, like, how quickly they're absorbed. So, creatine monohydrate, it's a white powder that is quickly absorbed and transferred from the body. Your blood and into your muscles. So that way we can use it for energy. You have like, Ethyl ester. So this is more chemically modified to boost its bioavailability. So while it's like great, it should kind of increase how much it's able to be absorbed. But I mean you could also just get a creatine monohydrate. That's easy to find and it's not something
Brianna:think that's where like people get into the weeds, because if you read the research, there is right, there's like, well, what are we using it for? And I think like the, the Esther one is really used when we're trying to study its effect, like With hormones, because at certain times of the month, your female hormones and men have them too, but it's different. Your female hormones are going to impact how much that you actually absorb, like how available it is. So they're thinking it is like making more bioavailable, you're absorbing more of it. But the research is still really like, okay, let's We don't know, right? But the monohydrate is probably your best bet. You're going to see that the most when you get a supplement anyways, like most of the ones that I've seen are regardless of the brand is monohydrate. Five grams is where I would start. We used to think like you need a loading phase, like, Oh, you need to be taking like 15 to 20 a day for the first four days. And then bump it down to five. I don't, I don't like, again, the research is like, maybe. And again, it's for different things. Like if we're talking about brain saturation, like Yeah, we're supposed to do that, but you can just take the serving or half whatever you feel comfortable with a day, every day and just keep it consistent and you're gonna get the benefits
Baylee:do see a lot of people too. They start creatine And then they might notice some weight gain So I think I want you to also understand is that if you do try creatine and you're like all of a sudden I feel puppy Or i'm just like gaining weight. It's not like you're gaining fat so can affect like the scale in different ways number one You Increased water retention. So creatine is drawing water into your muscles. And as your muscle becomes more filled with creatine, they're also going to be filled with more water. So it's going to, of course, increase your body weight. And this is where I see, I feel like I see this more common for people who do like the loading phase, but sometimes they can just. Take a few weeks to for your body to kind of just normalize out and then other things like muscle growth. Maybe that does affect the scale where muscle does not weigh more than that. A pound is a pound, but
Brianna:it takes up less space so you could have more muscle
Baylee:yeah.
Brianna:If that's just us trying, that's people trying to oversimplify it
Baylee:Yeah, usually like that initial weight gain with creatine is due to that water retention rather than muscle growth. This is more like a long term thing. So like increased energy storage, creatine helps regenerate that ATP, which provides additional energy. So this increased energy can allow you to kind of go harder type of thing.
Brianna:Yeah. It does. It makes you be able to, like, when it comes to strength and performance, we, we don't have to get into the weeds, but you can essentially. Lift a little heavier, maybe sprint a little faster, recover time between sets is, you know, it could be shorter. So yeah, you're probably going to be getting in harder workouts and muscle growth
Baylee:it's meant for burst type things as well.
Brianna:Yeah. So, I mean, I feel like I have met a lot of women who are like, Ooh, this all sounds great. And then the weight gain thing or the watery tension just freaks them out. So again, this is where it's like, Okay, sure. You don't need it. You can get it from food, but like, let's think about all the benefits that this is doing, right? Like we talked about like the cognitive function. It's also been shown to improve your mood and just be protective for your brain as it ages, especially for women, which is. So important. Cause I'm not trying to freak anyone out, but like, look at the prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's and the difference between men and women. It's crazy. So, okay. Like we're protecting our brain. The other thing that it's been shown to do is like, yes, help to preserve and build lean mass, but it also helps like bone density, which is also very important as we age. And it's been shown that creatine with strength training Is more beneficial than string training alone on the muscle and the bone density as you age. So if we want to, I think we can all deal with a little bit of water weight for maybe a week or two and then be like, yay, I'm reaping all these other benefits down the line It kind of just depends where you are because for a lot of women, like just that increase in the scale is like, absolutely not. I can't do it.
Baylee:and I do kind of give that warning out for People who are starting and like this could happen So I think it's important to be aware and then the next question I always get is when should I take it? So like you mentioned like taking it every day Then overall the most important thing is going to be that consistency Part so as long as you're taking like around like the three to five grams, which is recommended then It's less about the timing and more just that you're taking it consistently day to day to maintain optimal levels to help get the benefits from it.
Brianna:Yeah. I mean, again, that's one of those things. Like people get into the weeds, like, do I need a loading phase? How exactly, how much do I need wet? What day do I need to take it? What time do I need to take it? Do I need to work out? Right? Everything's like, nah, just find something that you can be consistent with. When are you going to know you're going to finish your bottle of water or whatever you're putting it in and put your creatine in that? Sometimes I even put it in my coffee because it dissolves very quickly. There's no taste. And I know that I'm going to drink my coffee. Right. So at least I know I'm getting it in rather than, Oh, I mixed it with some water and then I forgot about it.
Baylee:The end of the day, It's not that you have to take creatine to build muscle. It's just one of those other tools that can be supportive. Cause I know sometimes I can get overwhelming to like, okay, so I'm doing the foods, I'm doing the exercise, I'm doing all of these things. And now I have to look at supplements and now I'm adding this, I'm adding this. Like if that is where your brain is automatically going, then don't do it, but looking for. The next level, create just be something that can help you. It's safe. It's effective. It's well researched
Brianna:Mm hmm. There is, I will say, and this will be like the last disclaimer because you're 100 percent right. If you are listening to this and you're really on the fence and you're like, I just don't know if I want to take this on yet, I would say if you're on a primarily plant based diet, you should be someone that starts with it. Because we know that you're getting it mostly from meat and animal products, and if you just don't eat a lot of them, you probably need more. So, you could start there. And then if you're someone who's like, okay, I do eat a lot of animal products, All right, then maybe let's figure out what other things we need to do and wait until this isn't super overwhelming to think about. It's my sidebar.
Baylee:No, that's a good point to bring up. I think those are kind of the basics of creating. Did we miss anything?
Brianna:I don't think so. We try to keep this one short. If you guys do still have questions about creatine, send us. Send us a DM, comment on the reel, whatever it is. And we will, we'll have got, we'll, we'll get those questions answered.
Baylee:Oh, we're on Tik TOK now. I don't think we announced that, but we are on Tik TOK now.
Brianna:Yes. We're slowly building up our Tik TOK, adding all the, yeah. So, you know, follow us over on, on, on the Tik TOK, you know what I'm saying?
Baylee:Give us some love.
Brianna:Yeah, exactly. Help us because the Tik TOK algorithm is.
Baylee:It's weird.
Brianna:It's weird. There's no rhyme or reason to it. So I don't know. I haven't figured it out. But yeah, if you are on TikTok, go ahead and give us a follow. I'm also now on TikTok. I wasn't before, so you can follow me as well. I tag myself and I tag both of us in our, in our videos. So you
Baylee:So shameless. Yes, I hope this was helpful. If you have another supplement that you're kind of curious about, you want us to review, feel free to send us a message, let us know. But we've had, we've had a lot of great messages come back about the metabolic hormones episode. So if you missed that, definitely go back and listen to it. It has been, I think, eyeopening to many people and just a good educational resource to just understand more about your body. All right, have a great rest of your day and we will talk to you next week.
