I agree totally! Low carb bulking is an ideal way to build muscle while minimizing fat gains. However, you will not build as much muscle on low carb as you would on a higher carb diet.

And honestly if you have good insulin sensitivity and time your carb intake appropriately you can eat a higher carb diet and keep fat gains minimal.

As to meal planning, I don’t spend much time at all. If you read further down on my blog I detail the “body transformation lifestyle”. I spend maybe an hour total on Sunday prepping food, and about 10 minutes each morning putting together the day’s meals. I do not worry if I miss a meal, and the meals are not planned beyond picking a protein, a complex carb, and optionally, a fat source. I’ve been doing this long enough that the calories always fall out the same every day because I generally eat the same foods. I agree, if I spent lots of time planning meals and stressing over missed meals, it would definitely be no way to go through life.

I regard body building, or my attempt at it, as a hobby. I seriously doubt that I will track calories and eat for size for the rest of my life, or even for the next ten years. I’d like to build a solid base of muscle mass and then preserve it. I think that a 200 pound guy at 8 or 9% body fat doesn’t have to do much to preserve the muscle they have beyond lifting and eating maintenance calories. The calories required to maintain that amount of muscle would be about 3300. That’s just not very hard to eat that much, even when you’re eating clean like I do.

I think it’s like the tortoise and the hare. Mark’s the tortoise. Slow and steady wins the race, so to speak, but sprinting ahead and then going slow and steady after you’re way out in front is also a great way to win the race. That’s my plan.

Finally I am not here to talk anyone out of low carb eating. I think it’s a useful tool and for some people, essential for well being both mental and physical. I just don’t need it. Tonight I had a plate of pasta - two servings worth, smothered in a delicious tomato and basil sauce with locally raised grass fed beef. A delicious, healthy, anabolic and Earth-friendly meal. You just can’t beat that. In addition to that, I experienced no lethargy whatsoever. So, I do very well on a moderate to high carbohydrate diet. I just keep the refined garbage out. Semolina pasta is about as “refined” as I get and I don’t even eat that very often.

In conclusion, do what makes you happy, but at least admit that a higher carbohydrate diet IS the optimal way to build pure muscle mass. Yes, there are many ways to skin the cat, but that is the best way to do it. You should only do otherwise if you are insulin resistant and put on fat easily.