What is creatine and why does it affect your weight?
Creatine is one of the most studied and effective supplements available. It is a naturally occurring compound found in small amounts in foods like red meat and fish, and stored primarily in your muscles as phosphocreatine. Your body uses phosphocreatine to rapidly regenerate ATP, the primary energy source for short, high-intensity efforts like lifting and sprinting. Supplementing with creatine increases those phosphocreatine stores, which translates to more available energy during training, improved performance, better muscle recovery, and increased lean body mass over time. Carbon recommends creatine supplementation for members who want to support their training.
One of the primary ways creatine works is by pulling water into your muscle cells, increasing muscle hydration. Water has weight, so most people see a scale increase of two to five pounds when they start taking creatine. Some people experience even more. This is not fat gain. It is water retention driven by the supplement.
Why this matters for your Carbon check-in
Carbon evaluates your progress by tracking your weight trend over time. A sudden two to five pound scale increase from creatine can look like real weight gain to the coach, which may trigger a downward calorie adjustment that isn't appropriate for your actual progress.
To prevent that, you'll want to hold your targets steady during the first few check-ins while your weight stabilizes.
What to do during your first check-ins on creatine
When you check in during the first one to two weeks of taking creatine, follow these steps at the tracking confirmation screen:
Select No, I didn't track everything I ate this week
Then select No, I was not compliant
This tells Carbon to hold your current targets and make no adjustment for that week. Repeat this process at each check-in until your weight stabilizes and the initial increase slows down or levels off.
Continue hitting your current macro targets as normal in the meantime. The goal is to give your weight trend time to reflect your true baseline before Carbon makes any adjustments.
What if your weight doesn't come back down?
If your weight increases and doesn't return close to your pre-creatine baseline, we recommend starting a new goal. This resets Carbon's starting weight to reflect your new consistent weight, so the coach is evaluating your progress from an accurate baseline going forward.
For help changing your goal in Carbon, see How to Choose the Right Goal in Carbon.
Additional details
The weight increase from creatine is water retention, not fat. It does not reflect a change in your body composition
Most users see their weight stabilize within one to two weeks of starting creatine
Once your weight stabilizes, resume checking in normally and let Carbon's coach evaluate your progress from your new baseline
If you have questions about how to handle your check-in during this period, reach out to the support team at support@joincarbon.com
Stay consistent with your targets during the adjustment period and let your weight settle before giving Carbon the data it needs to coach you forward!