Does Creatine Help With Weight Loss?

Creatine has long been a staple in the world of muscle building—celebrated for boosting strength, enhancing performance, and promoting lean mass. But what about weight loss?

Take the case of a Reddit user who had already lost 15 pounds and was working toward a 45-pound weight loss goal. Like many others, she hesitated to add creatine to her regimen, worried that water retention and muscle gain might derail her progress on the scale. It’s a common concern, especially for those juggling both fat loss and muscle growth.*

In this article, we’ll explore whether creatine truly supports weight loss, how it affects your body composition, and what science—and real users—have to say about its role in your fitness journey.

Does Creatine Help With Weight Loss? What Does Science Say?

Scientific studies show that Creatine does not directly burn fat or lower the number on the scale, but it may support weight loss indirectly by promoting muscle growth and protecting muscle during the process.

One study focused on the effects of Creatine combined with resistance training, such as weightlifting or squats, in individuals aiming to build muscle. The results showed that supplementing with Creatine alongside exercise led to greater increases in muscle mass and strength compared to exercise alone or Creatine alone [6].

Although this study did not directly measure weight loss, gaining more muscle can help support long-term weight management. More muscle allows your body to burn more calories at rest, making fat loss easier over time.

One 12-week study examined Creatine’s direct effect on fat mass. Although the Creatine group gained lean mass, there was no significant fat reduction.

They participated in resistance training and were divided into two groups: one group received Creatine supplementation (20g/day for 4 days, then 2g/day for 17 days) while the other group took a placebo.

Results showed that the Creatine group gained weight (+1.6 kg) and lean mass (+1.9 kg), but their fat mass did not significantly decrease.

Meanwhile, the placebo group did not gain weight, gained lean mass (+2.2 kg), and had a significant fat loss (-2.4 kg) [8].

This human study suggests that Creatine may cause temporary weight gain due to water retention in muscles and does not directly promote fat loss. However, the increase in lean mass still offers important benefits for long-term weight management.

Read more: Should You Take Creatine Before Bed? Is It Effective?

Another study focused on older adults with obesity and used a D3-Creatine (D3Cr) tracer method—not supplementation—to assess skeletal muscle mass during a targeted weight loss program.

This pilot study tracked 24 participants, who achieved an average weight loss of -10.3 kg after six months. Results showed that muscle mass was fully preserved, even though other body composition indicators (measured by DXA and CT scans) decreased [2].

Although Creatine supplementation was not used in this study—the Creatine-related method was only for measurement—it highlights the importance of preserving muscle during weight loss.

This suggests that supplementing with Creatine could help protect muscle mass, ensuring that you lose fat without sacrificing valuable muscle.

How Does Creatine Affect Weight Management?

Preserves Muscle Mass

When you start your weight loss journey, one of the biggest challenges is maintaining muscle mass to keep your body firm, rather than just seeing a lower number on the scale. Creatine helps address this issue by protecting and enhancing muscle mass, creating a strong foundation for effective fat loss.

But how does Creatine do this?

Creatine acts as an energy reserve for your muscles, especially during high-intensity activities like weightlifting. By increasing phosphoCreatine (PCr) stores, Creatine helps your muscles regenerate ATP—the main “fuel” for physical activity.

This allows you to train longer and harder, stimulating muscle growth [6, 16].

Additionally, Creatine draws water into muscle cells, increasing osmotic pressure and glycogen storage, which makes muscles appear fuller and better protected from damage [6].

Other mechanisms include stimulating growth hormones like IGF-1, boosting satellite cell activity (which helps muscle fiber regeneration), and promoting muscle protein synthesis [6, 16].

In practical terms, research in both young and older adults has shown that supplementing with Creatine alongside resistance training significantly increases muscle mass and strength compared to training alone [6, 17].

Sports nutrition expert Dr. Scott Forbes emphasizes, “Creatine is one of the most effective supplements for protecting muscle during a weight loss phase, especially when training hard” [6].

By keeping your muscles strong, Creatine helps you train with higher intensity, burn more calories, and create positive changes in body composition—increasing muscle and reducing fat [6].

Increased Thermogenesis

Creatine not only helps strengthen muscles but may also boost the body’s ability to burn energy through thermogenesis—the process where the body produces heat to burn calories. This could indirectly support weight loss by increasing the amount of energy you use daily.

A study involving 10 active men who engaged in weight training for 12 weeks found that Creatine supplementation increased carbohydrate oxidation at rest and showed a trend toward a higher respiratory exchange ratio.

This means the body uses more carbohydrates for energy, which may help reduce body fat accumulation [8].

Additionally, Creatine may improve temperature regulation during exercise in hot environments. By increasing water content inside muscle cells, Creatine raises the body’s specific heat capacity, helping reduce heat stress and improve endurance performance, leading to greater calorie expenditure [17].

An animal study offers even more interesting insights.

Researchers found that when Creatine metabolism in fat cells was impaired, diet-induced thermogenesis (the process of burning calories from food) was suppressed, leading to obesity.

Dietary Creatine supplementation corrected this problem, suggesting that Creatine plays a role in promoting thermogenesis [9].

However, since this study was conducted on animals, we should be cautious when applying these findings to humans.

Reduced Fat Storage

In addition to protecting muscle and boosting thermogenesis, Creatine may also help reduce fat accumulation and promote energy metabolism, offering more direct benefits for weight loss.

Research shows that Creatine not only supports exercise performance but also influences how the body processes fat.

A meta-analysis in adults aged 50 and older found that those who supplemented with Creatine during resistance training reduced their body fat percentage more (-0.55%, p = 0.04) and lost about 0.5 kg more fat compared to the placebo group [7].

This human study suggests that Creatine may directly contribute to fat loss when combined with exercise.

Animal and in vitro studies provide additional clues about the mechanisms behind this effect.

One study in mice showed that when the Creatine transporter gene was depleted in fat tissue, levels of Creatine and phosphoCreatine dropped, leading to reduced energy expenditure and increased fat accumulation.

Conversely, Creatine stimulated ATP turnover in mitochondria within fat tissue, boosting energy metabolism in brown and beige fat [10].

In in vitro experiments, Creatine inhibited triglyceride formation in pre-adipocytes in a dose-dependent manner, through suppression of the PI3K–Akt–PPARγ signaling pathway [13].

Although these studies were not conducted directly in humans, they suggest that Creatine may help reduce fat accumulation by enhancing energy metabolism.

However, it is important to note that Creatine may cause temporary weight gain due to water retention both inside and outside of cells, which can mask initial fat loss [14].

Does Creatine Help With Weight Loss During Cutting?

How Does Creatine Work During Cutting?

During a cutting phase, when you reduce calories, your body can easily slip into a state of muscle loss due to the energy deficit. Creatine may help mitigate this effect through several mechanisms:

• Maintaining muscle fullness: Creatine increases water content within muscle cells, it creates a protective environment that shields muscle fibers from damage and shrinkage when you are eating below your energy needs. This helps you maintain a lean, toned physique and avoid muscle loss [7].
• Enhancing workout performance: Creatine helps regenerate ATP—the primary energy source for muscles—allowing you to sustain high-intensity workouts even when you're consuming fewer calories. Training harder means burning more calories, which supports fat loss [19].
• Boosting energy metabolism: Emerging research suggests that Creatine may stimulate brown fat (a type of fat that helps burn energy) cells to produce heat (thermogenesis), helping the body expend more energy and reduce fat accumulation. While this effect still needs more studies in humans, it shows potential for weight loss [9].
• Supporting recovery: Creatine helps muscles retain glycogen—the stored form of energy—This supports faster recovery after training sessions and be ready for your next training session without feeling drained [1].

These mechanisms make Creatine a useful tool, not only for preserving muscle but also for helping you achieve a leaner, more defined physique during the cutting phase.

How Much Creatine Should You Take During Cutting?

To maximize the benefits of Creatine without experiencing temporary water weight gain, it’s important to choose the right dosage. Here’s a detailed Creatine dosage guide:

• Daily dosage: Taking 3-5g of Creatine monohydrate per day is enough to support muscle maintenance and enhance workout performance. This is the ideal amount for most people during a cutting phase [11].

• Loading phase (optional): Some people choose to load Creatine by taking 20g per day (split into four doses of 5g each) for 5-7 days to quickly saturate their muscles with Creatine. However, during cutting, you can skip the loading phase to avoid rapid water weight gain and make weight management easier [1].

• Special cases: If you have a higher body weight or engage in very intense training, your dosage may increase to 5-10g per day to meet muscle demands [11]. It is recommended to drink 2-3 liters of water daily to prevent dehydration, as Creatine draws water into the muscles [11].

Depending on your body condition and whether you need to lose weight faster or slower, the amount of Creatine you use may vary. However, keep in mind that Creatine may initially cause weight gain due to water retention, this is a common and temporary effect.. Your weight will stabilize later if you use Creatine properly.

Should I Take Creatine While Trying To Lose Weight?

When your goal is to lose weight for a leaner body or to improve your health,“Creatine may serve as a beneficial addition to a weight loss plan, though it may not be suitable for every situation.

While Creatine doesn’t directly lower the number on the scale, it offers unique benefits that can support your weight loss journey, especially if you aim to reduce fat while preserving muscle mass [7].

Creatine helps individuals maintain energy levels during workouts, even when you are eating fewer calories than usual. This allows you to perform intense exercises, including running or weightlifting, with high intensity, leading to increased calorie burn and promoting fat loss [19].

Additionally, Creatine helps protect your muscles from breakdown during weight loss, which is a common issue among older adults or people following strict diets. Maintaining muscle not only gives a toned appearance but also increases your resting metabolic rate, helping your body burn more calories efficiently [4].

However, Creatine might not be ideal if you need to hit a specific weight target, such as athletes competing in sports like boxing or MMA, because it can cause temporary water retention that increases body weight [1].

Also, individuals with kidney or liver problems, or those with bipolar disorder, should avoid Creatine to prevent worsening their health conditions [12]. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should consult their doctor first, as there is limited long-term safety data [11].

Therefore, it’s important to consider your personal goals and health status to decide whether Creatine is the right choice for you.

How To Use Creatine For Weight Management

To make Creatine a useful part of your weight loss plan, you need to use it appropriately, combined with a diet and exercise routine designed for fat loss. Based on the latest research, Creatine can help you achieve your desired physique when used correctly [7].

You can start by incorporating Creatine through natural foods. Foods such as beef, salmon, or herring contain about 1-2g of Creatine per 0.5kg, making them a great option to boost Creatine while still fitting into a diet plan [11].

If you want to ensure the correct dosage, Creatine monohydrate in powder, tablet, or gummy form is a convenient solution.

Some users report positive experiences with Creatine supplements, with one user, David K. Kim, sharing:

"I do like the pill form because there's no powder that you have to mix, pour into your mouth, or chew if using gummies. It's really quick and easy to take. I went to a daily regular dose of 5g. I get a good pump (i.e., increased muscle fullness during exercise) during workouts and I feel like I have more energy when I workout."*

To optimize effectiveness, combine Creatine with a calorie deficit diet (500-1000 kcal/day) and prioritize protein-rich foods, such as chicken breast, eggs, or lentils, with a protein intake of 1.25-1.5g per kg of body weight. This helps protect muscles and promote fat loss [15].

You should also use Creatine during resistance training sessions, such as weightlifting or squats, to take advantage of its strength-boosting abilities [3].

For dosage, 3-5g of Creatine monohydrate per day is enough to support your weight loss goals. You can skip the loading phase (20g/day for 5-7 days) to avoid temporary water weight gain [1].

Creatine can be taken at any time of the day, but for better absorption, combine it with a meal containing carbohydrates and protein, such as a smoothie with whey protein and a banana, or with a meal like brown rice with lean meat [11].

Since Creatine pulls water into the muscles, drink 2-3 liters of water daily to prevent dehydration [18].

Creatine may be unsuitable for some individuals. Those with kidney, liver diseases, or bipolar disorder should avoid it [12]. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should also be cautious. Children and teenagers are not recommended to use it either due to the lack of long-term research [11].

Athletes who need to maintain a specific weight class should consider that Creatine can cause temporary weight gain [1].

Studies suggest that Creatine can provide significant benefits for weight loss. A 2019 study showed that older adults who took Creatine combined with resistance training lost about 0.5kg more fat than those who took a placebo [7].

Animal studies also suggest that Creatine stimulates fat breakdown in brown adipose tissue, opening up the potential for reducing fat accumulation [5]. These findings can give you more confidence when incorporating Creatine into your weight management plan.

Conclusion

Creatine is not the key to rapid weight loss, but it is a helpful companion on the journey to achieving a toned physique. Creatine helps build and protect muscle, supporting a leaner body during calorie restriction.

Furthermore, it supports your body in burning energy more efficiently, contributing to fat loss even though it doesn't directly burn fat. However, to achieve the best results, you need to combine Creatine with a proper diet and regular exercise, especially weightlifting exercises.

However, it’s important to note that Creatine can cause temporary weight gain due to water retention, and those with health issues like kidney disease or who need to control their weight precisely should be cautious.

So, is Creatine right for you? If you're looking to lose fat while maintaining muscle, Creatine could be a worthwhile option to try. Will you add Creatine to your plan or look for a different strategy?