Nutrition

Does the water retention/weight gain from Creatine stay as long as you take the supplement or go away in a few weeks?

Water retention with creatine: Here's what to expect

The question is, does water retention and weight gain from creatine stay as long as you take the supplement or will it go away in a few weeks? The answer is yes, it'll stay. Creatine supplementation naturally pulls water into the muscle. So as long as you have high creatine saturation in the muscle, the water will be there as well. And stopping the supplement can take a few weeks to have the creatine levels drop in your muscle and that's when you'll see the water weight disappear as well. So you will see some companies try to claim that they don't have water retention with their product. And my thought is, if you're not gaining water weight, then you're not getting the creatine into the muscle because then you're not pulling water into the muscle as well.

Yes, water retention and weight gain from taking Stay will stay as long as you take the supplement. But it will take a few weeks for it to go away after stopping supplementation.

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Water retention and weight gain from creatine supplementation will typically stay as long as you continue taking the supplement. Creatine naturally draws water into the muscles, and as long as there is a high saturation of creatine in the muscles, the water will remain there. When you stop taking the supplement, it can take a few weeks for creatine levels in the muscles to decrease, and that's when you may notice the water weight decreasing as well. Some companies may claim that their products do not cause water retention, but in my opinion, if you're not experiencing water weight gain, it likely means that the creatine is not effectively entering your muscles and pulling water along with it.

What’s the ideal time from when you eat lunch to going back and competing in your finals event?

Timing your lunch for ultimate performance in finals

The question is, what's the ideal time from when you eat lunch to going back and competing in your finals event? That's kind of a tricky question in that it depends on the composition of the lunch. If you're having a balanced meal that contains carbohydrates, moderate amount of protein and some fat, then ideally you're having that three to four hours before you compete. If you don't have that length of time, then we modify what the lunch looks like. We reduce the protein and fat content and focus on carbohydrates the closer you get to an event. If you're eating within two hours of an event, that's when we're focusing almost entirely on carbohydrates with very little protein and fat. The reason for this is it takes fat and protein longer to leave the stomach. The stomach is really using its acid to denature protein, so that delays the amptenine from the stomach into the intestines where carbohydrates will move quicker. Long story short, if you have a full meal, then you want to eat that three or four hours before the event. If you don't have that time, then focus on carbohydrates and minimize the amount of protein and fat that you have at that meal.

If you have a full meal, eat it three to four hours before your event. If you don't have that time, focus on carbohydrates and minimize the amount of protein and fat in your meal.

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The ideal time from when you eat lunch to competing in your finals event depends on the composition of your meal. If you have a balanced lunch with carbohydrates, moderate protein, and some fat, it's best to eat it three to four hours before the event. However, if you have less time available, adjustments can be made to your lunch. As the event gets closer, reduce the protein and fat content and focus more on carbohydrates. If you're eating within two hours of the event, prioritize carbohydrates with minimal protein and fat. This is because fat and protein take longer to leave the stomach, while carbohydrates move through the intestines more quickly. In summary, if you have ample time, enjoy a full meal three to four hours before the event. If time is limited, prioritize carbohydrates while minimizing protein and fat intake.

What foods are best for recovery after 4 days of taxing prolonged work outs?

Recover from taxing workouts with these key foods

All right, so what foods are best for recovery after four days of taxing prolonged workouts? And really the answer is no different than one taxing day of a workout. So the focus is getting enough carbohydrates to replace your glycogen stores and getting protein for repair. And then if you're doing four days of taxing workouts, you probably have some inflammation that needs to be addressed. So to start, carbohydrates, whatever carbohydrates you're willing to eat and get enough of. So whether that's potatoes, rice, pasta, oatmeal, just get the carbohydrates in. Protein, really your highest quality protein sources that have all the essential amino acids, so eggs and milk, lean meats. Then anti-inflammatory foods, foods high in omega-3s. So salmon would be tremendous, taking fish oil. And then cherries, cherry juice, other foods high in anthocyanins. There's products with black currant in it. So anything like that. But again, whether it's one day, two days, or four days, the focus is replenishing your fuel stores, repairing your muscle, and fighting inflammation.

To recover after four days of taxing workouts, focus on getting enough carbohydrates, high quality proteins, and anti-inflammatory foods such as salmon, cherry juice, and blackcurrant.

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When it comes to recovering after four days of taxing prolonged workouts, the key is not much different than after a single taxing day. The focus should be on consuming enough carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores and getting protein for muscle repair. Additionally, if you've engaged in four days of intense workouts, addressing inflammation is important. Start by incorporating carbohydrates from sources like potatoes, rice, pasta, or oatmeal. Choose high-quality protein options such as eggs, milk, and lean meats that provide essential amino acids. Anti-inflammatory foods rich in omega-3s like salmon and taking fish oil can be beneficial. Other options include cherries, cherry juice, and foods high in anthocyanins like black currant products. Whether it's one day or four days of workouts, the main goals are to refuel your body, repair muscles, and combat inflammation.

What kind of counseling to you find most athletes need around nutrition?

The Key to Athlete Nutrition: Planning and Produce

The question is what kind of counseling do you find most athletes need around nutrition? And working with college athletes, I would say there's a few common mistakes that I try to address. The first is not focusing on hydration and they're walking around in a dehydrated state that can lead to more muscle related injuries. There's also skipping meals, skipping breakfast in particularly, just trying to sleep and then rush off to class. So a big thing that I focus on is planning. A quote that I love is a failure to plan is a plan to fail. And that definitely holds true with nutrition. So it's planning when are they going to drink throughout the day, planning when are they going to have meals, how are they going to distribute protein throughout the day to maximize protein synthesis, so muscle recovery, muscle growth. How are they fueling and refueling from practice? So planning is a major aspect of what we have to discuss. Another common theme is just the lack of produce. We have way too many athletes, way too many people in the general public that are not eating fruits, not eating vegetables. So what I tell our athletes is the more stress they're under, the more produce they need to eat. So we're trying to incorporate that into their diet as well.

With college athletes, I focus on helping them plan their nutrition by emphasizing hydration, eating meals regularly and eating more produce to cope with the stress of the sport.

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In my experience counseling athletes around nutrition, I've noticed a few common mistakes that I address. Firstly, many athletes neglect hydration and walk around in a dehydrated state, which can increase the risk of muscle-related injuries. Another issue is skipping meals, especially breakfast, due to time constraints. Planning becomes crucial in addressing these issues. I emphasize the importance of scheduling when to drink fluids throughout the day, planning meals, and distributing protein intake to optimize muscle recovery and growth. Fueling and refueling strategies for practices also need to be considered. Another prevalent theme is the lack of consumption of fruits and vegetables among athletes and the general public. I stress the importance of incorporating more produce into their diets, especially when they are under increased stress. By addressing these areas and promoting proper planning and adequate nutrient intake, we can support athletes in optimizing their nutrition for peak performance.

What role does vitamin D play in post-exercise nutrition?

Vitamin D: Limited Impact on Post-Exercise Nutrition

The question is, what role does vitamin D play in post-exercise nutrition? And the short answer is very little. Vitamin D plays a lot of roles in our body, from enhancing the innate immune system to aiding in absorption of calcium, so helping with calcification of our bones, making our bones stronger. There's even some research to show it improves muscle health. There's studies that have looked at vitamin D levels to start a season, and those with higher vitamin D miss fewer games due to muscle injuries. Those with lower vitamin D miss more games due to muscle injuries. But specifically when we're looking at post-exercise nutrition, current research does not show much benefit specifically for vitamin D in that time. It's vital for the whole day, vital for many roles, just not really specific to post-exercise nutrition.

Vitamin D plays an important role in our body, from helping with calcification of our bones to enhancing the innate immune system. When it comes to post-exercise nutrition, however, there is no evidence that vitamin D has any specific benefits.

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The role of vitamin D in post-exercise nutrition is minimal. Vitamin D plays various important roles in the body, such as enhancing the immune system, aiding in calcium absorption for stronger bones, and potentially improving muscle health. Studies have shown that individuals with higher vitamin D levels at the start of a season experience fewer muscle injuries and miss fewer games compared to those with lower levels. However, when specifically considering post-exercise nutrition, current research does not demonstrate significant benefits specific to vitamin D during that time. While vitamin D is essential throughout the day and has numerous roles, it does not have a significant impact on post-exercise nutrition.

What are the benefits of post-exercise nutrition?

Maximize Your Workout Results with Post-Exercise Nutrition

The question is, what are the benefits of post-exercise nutrition? And there are quite a few. The primary one I focus on is recovery. So first, what is the definition of recovery? Recovery is to return to a normal or better state. So now post-exercise, what exactly do we have to recover from? You have used fuel, so now we need to refill that gas tank. We need to get carbohydrates in to replenish the stores that are naturally in your muscles. You need to repair the damaged muscle, so we need to provide protein, which has amino acids necessary to build back that muscle fiber, build it stronger than it was. We lose sweat and electrolytes in water, so we need to replace those, again, to return to our normal state. Another benefit with post-exercise nutrition is it enhances your immune system. Exercise can slightly suppress your immune system, and getting the food back in helps you return that immune system to a strong state. The last thing I would say is timing matters. With exercise, you have increased blood flow to the muscle. So the sooner we get food into our body after exercise, then we can get those nutrients delivered to the muscle while you have greater blood flow to the muscle.

Post exercise nutrition helps with recovery by replenishing fuel, repairing damaged muscle, replacing lost electrolytes, water and sweat, enhancing the immune system, and allowing for nutrients to be delivered quickly to the muscle.

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The benefits of post-exercise nutrition are numerous. The primary focus is on recovery. After exercising, our bodies need to replenish the fuel we've used. This means refilling our carbohydrate stores in the muscles. Additionally, we need protein to repair and strengthen the muscles that have been damaged during exercise. Post-exercise nutrition also helps in replenishing fluids, electrolytes, and water lost through sweat. This aids in returning our bodies to a normal state. Another benefit is that it enhances our immune system. Exercise can slightly suppress the immune system, and proper nutrition post-workout helps strengthen it again. Lastly, timing is important. After exercise, blood flow to the muscles is increased, so consuming nutrients soon after allows for optimal delivery to the muscles while blood flow is still heightened.

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Randy Bird,MS,RD,CSSD,CSCS answers your Nutrition questions. See all the advice Randy Bird,MS,RD,CSSD,CSCS has and get answers to your own Nutrition questions.

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Randy Bird joined UVA's athletics staff in 2010 as director of sports nutrition. Prior to UVA, he worked as a sports nutritionist at the University of Kansas, a clinical dietitian in Virginia and Pennsylvania, and completed internships with Virginia Tech and the University of Delaware. Bird has a Bachelor's and Master's in Food, Nutrition, and Exercise Science from Virginia Tech. He is a registered dietitian, a founder and past president of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association, and a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.