taking creatine and protein can help you build muscle lift more weight and improve your overall performance in a wide range of athletic activities whether it's used for weight lifting cardio or Sports many people want to start taking protein and creatine since they are natural supplements but they aren't exactly sure how it works within the body there are also many myths ranging from muscle cramps all the way to kidney damage So today we're going to take a journey inside the body to find out exactly what happens when you supplement with protein and creatine for 30 days straight based on scientific evidence to fully understand the changes and reactions that will happen you need to understand what these supplements are and where they come from starting first with protein which is one of the three main macronutrients protein carbohydrates and fats it's made up of building blocks called amino acids there are 20 different amino acids that can form a protein and most are naturally produced within your body however nine of these amino acids can't be produced by your body on its own these are known as essential amino acids and they need to be obtained from food when we consume protein whether it comes from plant or animal sources it undergoes a series of Transformations first our body's priority is to break down the protein into amino acids this breakdown process begins in the mouth through chewing and then it continues in the stomach where gastric juices assist in further digestion after that the partially digested protein enters the small intestine whereas specialized enzymes and acids from the pancreas complete the breakdown ultimately resulting in singular amino acids ready for utilization once the amino acids are in their individual form they're then transported to the liver which acts as a control center the liver rearranges and combines these amino acids to synthesize the specific proteins that the body needs different proteins have diverse functions such as aiding the immune system facilitating chemical reactions transporting molecules or assisting in DNA synthesis the average person doesn't consume enough protein but it's also totally possible to over consume unfortunately our bodies don't have a storage system for excess protein unlike our bodies do for carbohydrates so any surplus protein that you take in will be broken down and stored as fat during that process the liver removes the nitrogen from the amino acids excreting it as urine while the remaining components known as Alpha keto acids undergo a chemical process to form triglycerides that get stored in fatty tissues in certain instances such as when you're cutting calories really low or you're fasting Alpha keto acids can be converted into glucose for immediate fuel but your body prefers to rely on fats and carbs for fuel rather than protein which is reserved for tissue repair creatine on the other hand is a molecule that's naturally produced in your body primarily in the liver kidneys and pancreas it's actually made from three amino acids Arginine Glycine and methionine you can also obtain creatine from certain foods particularly Meat and Fish creatine is important for energy metabolism because it helps to replenish adenosine triphosphate also known as ATP which is the prime primary energy currency of your cells now it's important to keep in mind that the things that will happen to your body when taking creatine and protein for 30 days will depend largely on how much protein and creatine you're already consuming in regards to creatine the most often recommended dose for supplementation if you want the fastest results is to do a loading phase where you take 20 to 25 grams of creatine monohydrate for the first five to seven days followed by five grams of creatine monohydrate daily while it is possible to consume 5 grams of creatine per day through the food you eat it's very tough to do for most people for example three and a half ounces of Herring contains 1. 1 grams of creatine three and a half ounces of beef contains 0. 9 grams three and a half ounces of salmon also has 0.
9 grams and three and a half ounces of pork has 0. 7 grams and those are the most creatine dense foods available meaning that most foods have lower amounts so if you eat somewhere around two to three pounds of fish and meat every day it is technically possible to consume high amounts of creatine through diet alone in that case supplementing with extra creatine likely won't deliver any additional benefits since your muscle creatine stores will already be full but most people don't come anywhere close to getting enough the same thing applies to protein if you already consume enough protein in your diet which is about 0. 73 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily while then taking a protein powder won't provide any additional benefits with that being said let's assume that you're like most people meaning that you're not getting enough creatine and protein daily what would happen if you bumped up your intake for 30 days well in terms of creatine supplementation one of the first things that will happen is that you'll start to fill your muscle creatine stores in general every kilogram of muscle can hold about two to three grams of creatine one reason this will have a big impact is that creatine is an osmotically active substance which means it pulls water into your muscle cells this is often referred to as cell volumization or cellular hydration while this kind of water retention might sound like a bad thing it's usually actually beneficial depending on what your goals and objectives are one immediate benefit is that this water retention can make your muscles obviously appear larger and can also contribute to muscle growth by prompting protein synthesis and decreasing muscle protein breakdown also this water retention occurs within your muscles not under your skin which is why you'll look more muscular and stronger without looking more bloated keep in mind though that this also goes hand in hand with an increased body weight keep in mind expect again 25 grams of creatine during this initial period for example research found that an initial loading dose of 300 milligrams of creatine per kilogram of body weight per day for seven days increased body mass by an average of 0.
75 kilograms or a little more than one and a half pound ones another thing that will happen when you go to the gym is that you'll likely be able to do more reps with a specific weight load compared to what you were able to do before this is because creatine increases stores of phosphocreatine within your muscles it aids in the formation of new ATP which is the molecule muscle cells used for energy ATP usually gets depleted after around 10 seconds of high intensity activity which limits your ability to hit a higher volume with reps sets and weight load but the increase in creatine stored within your muscles helps you maintain a higher performance level for longer on top of that creatine can also help your body spare glycogen during short duration activities and it can assist with stabilizing muscle acidity levels as you exercise both of which can benefit muscular endurance another aspect to consider is what it'll do after your workout a review study found that creatine can Aid recovery from intense training which is beneficial because you'll be able to train again sooner leading to better gains the best part is that most people experience all these benefits without side effects because creatine has been proven very safe after years and years of scientific investigation with that said I do want to mention that some people do experience mild side effects and if those do occur it's most often during the loading phase so during that first week when you're taking a lot more creatine but keep in mind that you don't have to load your muscles will become fully saturated with creatine if you just take five grams per day rather than taking 20 to 25 grams a day for the first week it'll just take a little longer so say maybe a few more weeks for your muscles to become fully saturated but the end result will be the same because once your muscles are fully saturated with creatine taking more creatine won't provide any added benefits another case the most commonly reported side effects are cramping nausea stomach pain and diarrhea there have also been reports of participants in a study becoming dehydrated which is attributable to creatine pulling water into muscle cells dehydration can occur if this water loss is not compensated for that's why it's important to drink enough water while taking creatine especially during that first week if you're loading now in regard to protein one of the immediate benefits that you're likely to experience when increasing your protein intake is that you'll feel less hungry that's because protein is the most satiating macronutrient that's why increasing your protein intake for 30 days will tend to cause you to consume fewer calories than before and as a result you'll lose body fat for example in one study increasing protein intake from 15 to 30 percent of daily calories made the overweight participants eat 441 fewer calories each day without intentionally restricting anything in another study overweight men experience a 60 reduction in their desire to snack when they raise their protein intake by 25 percent but a reduction in Cravings isn't the only reason why you're likely to lose some pounds during the 30 days of increasing your protein intake another reason is that your metabolism will increase due to the fact that your body uses calories to digest and make use of the nutrients found within Foods this is referred to as the thermic effect of food protein has a much higher thermic effect than fat or carbs its thermic effect is 20 to 35 percent compared to 5 to 15 percent for fats and carbs essentially this means that 20 to 35 percent of the calories from the protein Source you ate will be used for energy to digest and process that protein and this difference can add up quite a bit over time in one study a high protein group burned 260 more calories per day than a low protein group that's equivalent to about two and a half pounds of pure fat after 30 days which equals about one hour of moderate intensity exercise daily another benefit is that you'll also recover faster from your workouts and the protein will obviously help with muscle growth as well on top of that a benefit that most people wouldn't associate with protein is that you'll likely experience a boost in energy that's because protein takes longer to break down in the body compared to carbs and fats providing you with more stable blood sugar and a sustained source of energy throughout the day your cognitive function and mood can also see an improvement the reason is that the amino acids and protein contribute to the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which regulate our mood and focus you might also be less likely to get sick during the 30 days because protein is good for your immune system that's because your body uses protein to produce antibodies which are the the tools we need to fight off infections when we're not getting enough protein our bodies could struggle to produce these antibodies increasing our susceptibility to infections so consuming enough protein can help maintain a robust immune response but the effects don't stop there one other benefit you'll likely experience is a decrease in blood pressure as studies show that higher protein intakes lower blood pressure for example a review of 40 controlled trials found that eating more protein lowered on average systolic and diastolic blood pressure by a substantial amount and lastly let's not forget the aesthetic benefits protein AIDS in the production of collagen carotene and melanin all crucial for healthy skin hair and nails these effects might not be quickly visible because it's estimated that the epidermis turns over every 40 to 56 days but the further you get to the end of the 30 days the more likely your skin hair and nails will start to look and feel better one last thing that I should mention is that based on the available evidence there is no added benefit it to taking protein and creatine at the same time so it's no problem if you take these supplements separately you'll still get all the same benefits as taking them together so that about wraps it up I really hope you enjoyed this video remember that supplements are just the cherry on top when it comes to your results and both your diet and exercise program are significantly more important so if you want a done-for-you plan that comes with a personalized diet plan a recipe book a full video exercise library and a coach to guide you through the entire process visit my website where you can get this all for free just by putting your best foot forward and sticking to the plan like the thousands of clients that have already lost 20 pounds or five percent of the body fat in six short weeks to find out more you can click the link below in the description or you can head straight on over to my website directly at gravitytransformation.
