Another installment on super shakes and creatine

Ok, now that I've done a handful of strength-training workouts after starting creatine I have some more data to report. Also, I started having a super shake for lunch/afternoon snack on strength-training days as a means of possibly counteracting what I called the "retch factor," so I have information to report on how that's gone as well. Would've posted this last night, but this Saturday was a really busy one that also took up part of Friday.

First, about the super shake remedy for retch factor. As you'll recall, I was having a problem pushing myself in strength-training workouts because of the retch factor, which necessitated suppressing the urge to, well, vomit. I came up with the idea of, instead of eating solid food on strength-training days, having more of a liquid lunch to see whether that might mitigate or eliminate the retch factor.

So we've now done two strength-training workouts on days when I had a super shake for lunch--actually an extra large one that I even save a portion of for a mid-afternoon snack. And I have to say that having this sort of lunch does definitely mitigate the retch factor.

I can't say that, on days so far when I've tried the super-shake lunch, I don't feel any sort of regurgitative urges whatsoever while pushing myself hard during strength training. But I can say that I feel that much less frequently and urgently, and can consequently push myself harder. So I'm sticking with this diet for strength-training days. If you have a similar problem with the retch factor, I recommend you also try the super shake remedy. I'm glad I tried this.

I also have to report, on a related note, that I've been experiencing this intense burning in the chest, and that I identified with the retch factor, during our recent interval training sessions. And I'm beginning to think that the burning sensation, while often accompanied by the urge to regurgitate, may actually be a separate sensation.

I cannot say, for example, that during our recent strength-training sessions when I got that regurgitative urge, it was accompanied by burning in the chest: sometimes it is, sometimes not. I'm still working on analyzing the interrelation of the two and will likely post more on this topic later.

Finally, I have kind of a mixed review of creatine. During Monday's workout I definitely felt the effects of the creatine. I felt as though I was able to use heavier weights and that I didn't get nearly as winded as I had been. I was ready, at that point, to pretty much reverse initial observations I'd made about creatine. But then came Friday's workout.

During Friday's strength-training workout, I can't say I felt much of anything at all from the creatine. Perhaps a slight decrease in recovery time, but nothing nearly as dramatic as I felt on Monday. So I have to say it's still a bit of a mixed bag on the creatine front. I'll need more time to assess the situation. That said, I do feel some slight mental benefits from it.

As for why the creatine seemed to have a much more dramatic effect on Monday than on Friday, one possibility is that Monday was much closer to the end of the creatine "loading phase," so I likely had more of it in my system at that point than on Friday. Also, I actually reduced the dosage during the course of this week from the recommended full teaspoon to half a teaspoon. So I will try increasing it back to the normal dosage and see what effect that has on next week's strength-training workouts.

Look for further reports later.