Short answer
A little, at first, and it is mostly water. Creatine pulls water into muscle cells, so many people see the scale rise by a kilogram or so in the first week. Longer studies of five to ten weeks of training found no rise in total body water. Over months, the weight that stays is muscle from training, which creatine helps you build.
The first week
Creatine is stored in muscle with water, so as muscle creatine rises in the first days, water follows. The International Society of Sports Nutrition’s 2021 review lists water retention as the most commonly reported early effect and notes it is more likely with a loading phase of around 20 g a day than with 3 to 5 g a day from the start.
After that
The same review points to several training studies of five to ten weeks that found no increase in total body water compared with placebo. Any lasting change in weight after that comes from the thing creatine is good at: adding lean mass when you train. In the meta-analysis of older adults, that was about 1.4 kg more lean mass than training alone.
Bloating and stomach upset
Stomach upset is dose-dependent and mostly reported at high single doses, according to a 2025 safety review. Splitting the daily amount or taking it with food is the usual fix, and skipping the loading phase avoids most of the early water weight. Dehydration and cramps, another common worry, are not supported by controlled studies.
Related questions
Will creatine make me look puffy?
The extra water sits inside muscle cells, not under the skin. Some people notice fuller-looking muscles; the ‘puffy’ look isn’t what the studies describe.
Should women avoid it for this reason?
The early water effect is the same in women. Trials in women over 50 show the muscle and strength benefit with training, and no lasting water gain.
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Sources
Published 2026-09-30 · Last checked 2026-09-30
Educational content, not medical advice. Made for the United States.