Creatine didn't make you buff and slow instead of lean, your diet and training did. Creatine allows you to create more ATP, which is the energy source for short, explosive movements. It will allow you to produce more force, over a few more repetitions, be they weightlifting, sprinting, punching. It'll actually make you faster, because you can explode longer. There's a reason it's probably THE most common supplement and is used by a huge percentage of athletes. Creatine monohydrate will cause you to retain some water, but that only accounts for a few pounds of water retention if that. That's a reason for not taking it for a couple weeks prior to competeting in a weight class.
Like I said, it was your diet and training that made you slow. You probably used some crap routine out of a bodybuilding mag, ate like shit,a nd then blamed your crap performance on creatine.
Anyway, to answer your question:
1. Take 3-5 grams of creatine a day, preferably 30 min prior to working out, or immediately after with your protein shake. If you don't want to take it, don't.
2. Take Muscle Milk right after working out, and before bed if it's your only protein.
3. If you have a whey protein you take, take it with some carbs after working out, and than muscle milk before bed.
4. Get your diet in check, and go to the S&P forum. Read the stickies for a good reoutine.
