Hey Everyone,
I work out with this guy who suggests I take three protein shakes a day all filled with creatine to help me gain some muscle weight. I also hear doing that can just be plain unhealthy. I try to have a protein shake whenever I eat throughout the day and obviously before and after I lift. I’m a skinny guy and I’ve been under 120 lbs for some time now. Is what I’m doing ok to do? Is it safe?
First of all, what else are you eating? E.g. what did you eat yesterday, be specific and also include quantities?
And then what’s your exercise routine like?
[quote]238 wrote:
First of all, what else are you eating? E.g. what did you eat yesterday, be specific and also include quantities?
And then what’s your exercise routine like?[/quote]
Right… well its mostly meat and seafood. On the side it’s usually rice and veggies. During the day Im eating things like sandwiches and eggs for breakfast. Yesterdays meals were pizza (not the healthiest choice ha) and shrimp, pasta, and veggies. I usually workout three to four times a week too but I go as much as possible.
Eat more.
Unless you’re putting over 10g of creatine in every shake it won’t cause problems. But it’s not necessary. You’ll do fine just mixing 5g in with whatever you drink during or after you workout (timing isn’t as crucial as just taking it everyday so don’t stress out about it).
Protein shakes are just that…protein. Unless they add more stuff in. Check your labels. Drinking protein shakes does not make you gain muscle; adequate protein intake, a certain number of calories, and hard work in the gym do.
Notice how shakes contribute to two of those.
[quote]fakexhistory11 wrote:
[quote]238 wrote:
First of all, what else are you eating? E.g. what did you eat yesterday, be specific and also include quantities?
And then what’s your exercise routine like?[/quote]
Right… well its mostly meat and seafood. On the side it’s usually rice and veggies. During the day Im eating things like sandwiches and eggs for breakfast. Yesterdays meals were pizza (not the healthiest choice ha) and shrimp, pasta, and veggies. I usually workout three to four times a week too but I go as much as possible. [/quote]
I see a lack of information regarding quantities of food in that reply.
And exercises. List types/sets/reps/weights.
If you want more help it would be better to post your macros for each day, say whatever foods you ate… Then add total for fats, protein, and carbs for that day, as well as the total calories consumed… Then add whatever weight training program you are currently on. The split you are doing, weight, set reps… Make a diary log of how much you consume each day and workouts for each day… This will help to pin how much calories you will need to eat for growth and help with managing diet and program with much more ease.
[quote]fakexhistory11 wrote:
Hey Everyone,
I work out with this guy who suggests I take three protein shakes a day all filled with creatine to help me gain some muscle weight. I also hear doing that can just be plain unhealthy. I try to have a protein shake whenever I eat throughout the day and obviously before and after I lift. I’m a skinny guy and I’ve been under 120 lbs for some time now. Is what I’m doing ok to do? Is it safe?[/quote]
I would be more concerned about why you are still 120lbs for so long.
[quote]fakexhistory11 wrote:
Hey Everyone,
I work out with this guy who suggests I take three protein shakes a day all filled with creatine to help me gain some muscle weight. I also hear doing that can just be plain unhealthy. I try to have a protein shake whenever I eat throughout the day and obviously before and after I lift. I’m a skinny guy and I’ve been under 120 lbs for some time now. Is what I’m doing ok to do? Is it safe? [/quote]
How many calories do you eat everyday? How many grams of protein, fat, and carbs. For all we know, you’re taking in 1800 calories a day and just need more food.At 120 lbs, I don’t think creatine 3 times a day is the answer.
Figure out what you’re taking in, then add 500 calories to it for a week. If you’re not gaining 1-2 lbs a week, add 500 more.
Here’s an awesome site and app for your phone that makes it simple to track what you’re eating.
Hey man, I am just a dude. No professional or doctor, so take this for whatever its worth.
You might want to try adding milk to your diet. Lots of it.
I was 170 lbs (6’3") skinny. My personal preference in nutrition is paleo (a highly debated nutritional lifestyle).
I added milk to my diet and gained over 20 lbs in a month. I started drinking a gallon a day.
I am lactose intolerant, so i buy Lactose-free milk. It is real whole milk, just lactose filtered out.
It was tough at first, but then i developed a system. I drink 2 shaker bottles of milk with breakfast, lunch and dinner (post workout).
It totals to a gallon a day. If your eating 4 meals a day, you can of course break it down to a liter every meal.
If you google “GOMAD” and click the first link (stronglifts.com), theres some info on there too.
Again, I’m no gynecologist, but its my 2 cents. 
I’m not sure about the order, but I’d say:
- Eat
- Read
- Lift
- Repeat
Creatine does not cause harm. though you only need 5-10 grams per day tops. Actually, after “loading” you only need ~2-3 grams, but a little extra won’t hurt as absorption is partly related to what it’s consumed with (insulin helps).
perfectly healthy, do it.
Creatine is naturally occurring, so I doubt you’re going to have any real issues aside from some odd water retention you might notice if you’re more susceptible to it. Without many details, I would assume that because you weigh 120 lbs, and wish to weigh more, that you’re most likely not eating enough to support additional muscle growth (again, this is without knowing much background info). As a lot of people who have grown accustomed to their regular diets have a difficult time adjusting to suddenly eating more, adding extra nutrients in liquid form is a common approach going way back to pre-Arnold bodybuilders.
S