Creatine Weight Gain

creatine alone doesnt make you gain weight, though it may make you look slightly bigger as water moves into your muscles. Also the mechanism of creatine doesn't really lend itself to really any form of exercise beyond 60s or so.

If you feel great and are running great, ride with it. Throw away the scale. We've had way too many decades of runners obsessing over their weight. Not just women, and almost always to their detriment. Not saying weight doesn't matter at all, but it's one factor of many.

I've used Creatine off and on for 20 years. I've always gained a few pounds on creatine, but as I understand it, it's extra water INSIDE the cells, which increases the power production of the cells. The benefit is mostly for short duration events, like weight lifting or sprints. I can definitely tell a difference in how much I can lift after 3-4 weeks on creatine. I think for any distance longer than 400 or maybe 800m, the extra power is offset by the added muscle/water weight you'll have to carry around, but you can always test it yourself.

This may be unique to me, but I'm more prone to muscle cramps when I take more than 5g/day of creatine consistently for a week or so. However, I'm aware of lots of youtubers who claim to take 25g/day with no problems, so maybe it's just unique to me. Regardless, it's more important to stay well hydrated when on creatine because your cells need more water when taking creatine.