#21

Thanks Joseph, this is helpful, also the approach that you chose to follow. When you say you restrict’, I assumed you meant you eat less protein (or do you also refer to allover fasting / time restricted feeding)? And I assume you take your dose of Rapa during such cycles of ‘restriction’, if you don’t mind me asking? Thanks again!

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#22

@Pat25 Yes, “restrict” for me mostly means “less” but once a week means a 24- hour fast. I also skip breakfast on mornings that I lift. I do a 24 hour fast when I take rapamycin, which I do every 14 days (1/2 the time this is my weekly fast). Once a month I skip an extra week of rapamycin and hit a big anabolic week of hard exercise and plenty of nutrients. I’m also planning to do regular fasting mimicking diets (5-days) every 3 months. It’s getting to be time (since my 1st FMD) so I’ll have to figure out how to bake it in.

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#23

Thanks so much! Sounds like a sensible approach - also the fasting while taking Rapa. Hats off to you that you manage to fast so often; it’s probably one of the best things we can do.
I used to do quite a bit of water fasting (3-5 days), but I just can’t get myself to do it anymore. To be frank I find the experience pretty awful (perhaps also as I am low in weight). I also tried ~5-6 rounds of Longo’s FMD as an alternative during that time, but it barely seemed to have any effects on ketone levels, neither the effects water fasts had on inflammation (based solely on observation). But I can imagine the effects of the FMD would be very different for males versus a (very) small female.

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#24

I found the FMD made a big difference in my chronic inflammation. I didn’t think I had any (very low hsCRP) but my post workout joint pain vanished entirely for 1.5 months before starting to reemerge. It is still (after almost 3 mos) less than pre FMD but clearly I need to keep knocking it down. I don’t mind as the FMD was no trouble at all (cost aside). A water fast longer than 2 days, on the other hand, involves a lot of suffering and willpower for me.

I would agree that fasting while underweight or very low body fat doesn’t seem like a good idea. I haven’t had to worry about being underweight since the day I was born (6 lbs).

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#25

A water fast longer than 2 days, on the other hand, involves a lot of suffering and willpower for me."

Haha, tell me about it. Usually by day 3 I was watching YT food vlogs every free minute of the day. (Not something I normally do).
Good to hear the FMD works so well for you. I may suggest it to family members. There also were a lot of DIY-FMD recipes online at the time.

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#26
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#27

Any thoughts on creatine being detrimental for asthmatics? I just ordered some but now will likely avoid it until I get my asthma under control.
Effect of Creatine Supplementation on the Airways of Youth Elite Soccer Players - PMC

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#28

I have allergy triggered asthma and creatine has had no detrimental side effects for me.

I know it’s not the same as being a full blown asthmatic so take it for what it’s worth.

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#29

.

hi there, all :slight_smile:

…does anyone happen to have any personal experience with taking 20g a day of creatine - and were you having blood work done …particularly, monitoring kidneys, to watch for any decreasing function?

…i have, unfortunately, sustained traumatic brain injuries in the past, and was hoping creatine might be able to help my cognitive function somewhat,

besides also, i hope, helping the crushing fatigue i have, despite trying PQQ and NAD (and will be adding Urolithin soon),

but i am worried about kidney function (am i misunderstanding, or does the above article specify that 25g DOES harm kidneys? and if so, 20g feels close to that…)

thanks, everyone, for helping me sort this out - some of it is way over my head :slight_smile:

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#30

@John_Hemming (and ALL!) hi :slight_smile: -

do you have any thoughts on “Krealkalyn” creatine? -

whether it would help mitochondrial function, or brain function?,

and whether it could avoid Any implication to kidneys at all?

i was thinking to take a high-ish dose (equivalent to 20g creatine) to help my brain, as i’ve suffered a few traumatic brain injuries (and to help my mitochondrial function, in addition to taking PQQ and NAD [starting Urolithin soon too),

but i do worry about harm to kidneys, at higher doses,

and Krealkalyn claims it will not harm kidneys …and also will not cause water retention like regular creatine

…thanks for any guidance you can provide -

and thank you to anyone else who read this post, and thank you for if you take the time to respond, too -

wishing the best of health to all! :slight_smile:

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#31

I have used Creatine monohydrate but now I use Krealkalyn. The main reason for me to make this choice is that I find Krealkalyn to be more gentle on my stomach.

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#32

I haven’t looked at it.

#33

hi, @Curious thank you for taking the time to respond -

may i ask how much Krealk you are taking?

and, do you ever get any bloodwork - particularly kidney markers?,

and if so, have you noticed any elevated markers, or decreased egfr?

thanks!

#34

thanks @John_Hemming for taking the time to respond -

i know Krealkalyn is less well known, so not expecting to find much feedback -

but hope to at least hear from some who use regular Creatine, at a high dose of 20g, who monitor their kidneys, whether it has increased any markets or trouble, or decreased their egfr…

thanks again for all your contributions here on this forum! :slight_smile:

#35

I take 5 grams a day. Some days 10.

No change in kidney markers.

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#36

thank you sooo much, @Curious for sharing your experience! …and that is very encouraging to me!

i think i will try at least that high of a dose,

maybe, over time, higher, BUT monitoring frequently, and at any sign of negative change, i will back off…

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#37

Have been taking creatine for years. Definitely increases creatinine about .2 or .3 or so. (I’ve stopped and restarted to verify.) It’s well documented that this is of no consequence. If you plan to stop if your creatinine increases, might as well not even start.

If you want an unaffected before after kidney test, get cystatin c.

I’m reloading creatine right now, and mixed with water it does make me a bit nauseous. That’s at the ten gram level.

Also:

Overall, Creatine Monohydrate is the best ‘bang-for-you-buck’ form of creatine as the others tend to carry higher prices on the labels. That being said, other forms may have benefits that are not related to the creatine molecule itself but due to solubility.

https://examine.com/articles/what-is-the-best-form-of-creatine/

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#38

This is why I stopped using creatine as a test, because I suffer from insomnia and rarely feel tired. Let’s see if it makes a difference—strength levels will definitely drop, that I know from experience

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#39

@tj_long interesting idea. Let me know how it goes. Since creating is not a stimulant I wouldn’t guess it interferes with sleep. It just helps the mitochondria make energy more efficiently (and maybe more energy / less ROS). But you’ll find out!

I am focusing on circadian factors such as food and light and temperature and avoiding high heart rate exercise at night. The great results are not immediate if forthcoming at all. Patience is a virtue I hear.

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#40

You are right, but many other supplements have also worsened my insomnia, such as vitamin K2, D3 and CoQ10. However, I do use vitamin D, but only 1000 IU and early in the morning.

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