Creatine or Protien

[clay]

Well I was thinking I was going to use Creatine, but I have just a quick question.
I am working out (and cardio) to loose some belly fat (very little). I am also wanting to add some muscle definition. I am pretty healthy but not "cut" and want to make the wife impressed. I weight ~150lbs and am 5'10".
I am trying to eat much better and am drinking more water than I ever have (probably around 1/2gallon a day). I try to do 3 days of weight lifting and 3 days of cardio.

I am not sure if I will be able to afford to stay on Creatine AND protien for a length of time, but I can stay on one or the other. I hear so much about protien which I have added to the diet in the form of food, not supplements (but still probably not as much as recommended). Now if I had to choose 1, which one would I benefit most from? Just Creatine or Just Protien supplements?
Thanks for any help.
see ya
clay

[Lee J B]

I would sacrifice the creatine, it is nowhere near as important as good nutrition, with good workouts and accuratly timed meals you wont need the creatine to make gains. Stick with your protein mate.

[clay]

great. Thanks for the help in that decision. I will start with the Protien and see how things go with that and my diet and exercise. Maybe add the Creatine later down the road.

I do have just one more question on Creatine and Protien supplement. I did a search and didnt get any results on it.
I went to GNC and was looking around to compare prices with another place and I saw they had Creatine and Protien from a company called "Challenge". It was Creatine Monohydrate but didnt say anything about being Creapure or Micronized. For future reference when I do buy, is this a safe brand to purchase from? I know some times you get what you pay for, but it was the least expensive Creatine they had (I think $15 for 903grms). I may be able to afford Creatine and the Protien from this brand if its a decent brand to buy from. Any help you can offer would be greatly apprecaited. I am loving the help I have gotten so far.
Thanks
see ya
clay

[Lee J B]

Hi, the help is a pleasure, anytime... About the creatine, if you use the search option for these forums and search for creatine .. you will find the answer to your question in seconds I am sure. I do not directly know about the 'challenge brand' I do know that AST and PRO LAB make good creatine, but I am one of them fools that have fallen for the name brands, some of the guys on here have found very good makes, but the name escapes me at this moment, .. guys if your reading can you post up .. if not clay you can find the makes and brands the others talk about using the search function again.

Good Luck, Lee

[clay]

yeah, thats why I asked specifically about Challenge. I used the search function before posting it and no one covered that brand name, so I figured I would ask.
REason I was interested in it was because it seemed fairly inexpensive and would be possible for me to buy both the Challenge Creatine and Challenge Protien Whey on my budget, instead of going with a Call Tech or GNC brand. I havent found AST or Prolab in my local area yet.
Thanks for the response.
see ya
clay

[Lee J B]

Well taking into consideration what you have just said my advice would simply be to buy it and try it

peace

[clay]

thanks I will likely do that.
Appreciate it.
see ya
clay

[slipper]

based on reading your goals, you want to lose weight and gain a little more muscle definition, correct? your not serious in terms of weight training but would rather train for general health? if you answered yes for both i would recommend the protein and cut the creatine. creatine is used to increase muscle output for short burst of energy such as pushing a heavy bar off your chest(bench press). creatine monohydrate is also known for increasing water weight and giving a bloated feeling which would work aganist your goals.

[heibrin]

Hey, it's simple. If you train & consume enough protein you will grow. If you train with creatine & don't get enough protein, you won't grow (as much).

Protein is the one part of the nutrition equation you can not leave out. If you use creatine you should increase your protein intake too (you will need more protein to feed the fast growing muscles)

As far as losing bodyfat...creatine/protein is not really an issue here. If you stick to your cardio and cut the carbs you can't go wrong.

[Kitara]

And, as cursor always points out, the first place that you need to look in order to accomplish your goals is your diet. Without a good diet creatine and protein are the least of your worries.