How long does it take for creatine to leave the body?

I will be using creatine for the next 3 weeks.. I know this seems short but I am going to drop my calories again to finish off my cut and hopefully the creatine will help me preserve some strength. However, I experience alot of water retention. How long does it take for creatine to leave the body?

The reason I ask is because our school does a competition called "Mr. Bulldog". Basically it's a talent/comedy show for elected senior guys and there is a swimsuit part. Since I hold onto alot of water, I want to make sure I get rid of all my water weight so that my hard work in my cut doesn't get overshadowed by the creatine related water weight..

Thanks!

First of all, if you retain a lot of water, you're probably taking too much creatine. For instance, I get the same result at 5grams 4 days a week that I do at 5grams 7 days a week. The difference? I gain 5-7 pounds of water at 5g/7days. When I initally switched from 5g/7 to 5g/4 I seriously pissed out that 5-7 pounds of water I mentioned. But when I cycle off creatine completely...it takes about 4-5 days to piss out all the water.

edit: No you don't HAVE to cycle off creatine...I just like to. It also lets me know it works, which I like.

[QUOTE=Brawndo89;625252973]First of all, if you retain a lot of water, you're probably taking too much creatine. For instance, I get the same result at 5grams 4 days a week that I do at 5grams 7 days a week. The difference? I gain 5-7 pounds of water at 5g/7days. When I initally switched from 5g/7 to 5g/4 I seriously pissed out that 5-7 pounds of water I mentioned. But when I cycle off creatine completely...it takes about 4-5 days to piss out all the water.

edit: No you don't HAVE to cycle off creatine...I just like to. It also lets me know it works, which I like.[/QUOTE]

I agree with your statements, but unfortunately, I really do just hold onto alot of water. I take 3g after my lifting sessions, 5x a week, and those are my results. I don't really feel like taking any less than that would result in the benefits of taking the creatine in the first place

well it takes around 28 days for your creatine levels to return to baseline.

but if you dont want water bloat, you can always use concret.

[QUOTE=EntropyIncrease;625256463]well it takes around 28 days for your creatine levels to return to baseline.

but if you dont want water bloat, you can always use concret.[/QUOTE]

well it seems like 28 days, and 4 to 5 days is quite a large margin.. I am not worried about the amount of creatine left in my system, just the water retention

[QUOTE=Illini2012;625264893]well it seems like 28 days, and 4 to 5 days is quite a large margin.. I am not worried about the amount of creatine left in my system, just the water retention[/QUOTE]

then read the 2nd half of my post. Creatine nitrate is also solid

[QUOTE=Illini2012;625264893]well it seems like 28 days, and 4 to 5 days is quite a large margin.. I am not worried about the amount of creatine left in my system, just the water retention[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=EntropyIncrease;625266303]then read the 2nd half of my post. Creatine nitrate is also solid[/QUOTE]

I believe he is asking how long it takes to piss out the water. Which, as I said before, takes ME about 4-5 days to lose all the water weight. That doesn't mean my creatine levels are "back to normal".

Creatine washout is about a month, but you'll probably be rid of the water in a week or so

[QUOTE=Brawndo89;625271993]I believe he is asking how long it takes to piss out the water. Which, as I said before, takes ME about 4-5 days to lose all the water weight. That doesn't mean my creatine levels are "back to normal".[/QUOTE]

yeah I didnt read his 1st post thoroughly enough