Are you willing to trade monotony in eating for a great body
If so, you will find once you get a basic caloric and macro-nutrient profile pegged, AND, are willing to stick with a basic format and make your protein mostly shake based--you are SET! Yes, you will have to make adjustments as you grow, and if you are dieting to strip bodyfat, you will need regular changes as bodyfat levels go down and you get into single, and particularly low-single digit numbers. But aside from the situations listed above, if you are willing to eat a simple, basic format diet, that does not vary a lot, you will find it incredibly simple to add muscle at a "real world" pace, while keeping bodyfat levels in check year-round.
This doesn't mean every meal need be the same, nor every day be the same as the previous day. It does mean that you structure your diet within a basic format, and around foods that do not vary a lot in overall caloric or macro-nutrient structure from what you usually eat. And it also means you pre-plan to a degree, those "cheat" meals or days that are needed for sanity purposes. I work with many people that are long-term training clients that between us have dialed in diet to the extent that once we have them lean, we keep them there within a few percent bodyfat year round, and allow them to add quality muscle on an ongoing basis. I keep myself a between 6-10% year round and would never in a million years go back to bulk/cut dieting. Yes, it takes a bit of juggling to get everything setup, but once there you are set, and changes that need to be made as you grow are simple and basic "no brainers". If you are not using a similar approach, you are probably a t-shirt bodybuilder, you know, the guys who only look good with a loose fitting t-shirt and are ashamed to take it off.
Iron Addict
If so, you will find once you get a basic caloric and macro-nutrient profile pegged, AND, are willing to stick with a basic format and make your protein mostly shake based--you are SET! Yes, you will have to make adjustments as you grow, and if you are dieting to strip bodyfat, you will need regular changes as bodyfat levels go down and you get into single, and particularly low-single digit numbers. But aside from the situations listed above, if you are willing to eat a simple, basic format diet, that does not vary a lot, you will find it incredibly simple to add muscle at a "real world" pace, while keeping bodyfat levels in check year-round.
This doesn't mean every meal need be the same, nor every day be the same as the previous day. It does mean that you structure your diet within a basic format, and around foods that do not vary a lot in overall caloric or macro-nutrient structure from what you usually eat. And it also means you pre-plan to a degree, those "cheat" meals or days that are needed for sanity purposes. I work with many people that are long-term training clients that between us have dialed in diet to the extent that once we have them lean, we keep them there within a few percent bodyfat year round, and allow them to add quality muscle on an ongoing basis. I keep myself a between 6-10% year round and would never in a million years go back to bulk/cut dieting. Yes, it takes a bit of juggling to get everything setup, but once there you are set, and changes that need to be made as you grow are simple and basic "no brainers". If you are not using a similar approach, you are probably a t-shirt bodybuilder, you know, the guys who only look good with a loose fitting t-shirt and are ashamed to take it off.
Iron Addict