This is a really great question. As Firetitan said, my goal right now is getting there but I have thought about it. And honestly, I want to incorporate a lot of what I've learned into daily life forever. Regular exercise, increase calories burned beyond a sedentary level, track diet and eat around maintenance for a while and then slowly increase calories by maybe 200 calories over maintenance to put on some muscle.
MrKleen73 said this to me in a PM discussion and gave me permission to quote it. I think it's pertinent and smart:
"The metabolism is indeed a very resilient function and true damage is not as likely as most people believe. However there is DEFINITELY something to be said about a properly structured reverse diet and the benefits it can have on your metabolism. My average caloric intake has been about 700-1000 cals higher than it used to be simply from training my metabolism to be more efficient at nutrient handling. You could easily get your BMR up over and above 2200-2500 with a structured reverse diet. Main key is to reintroduce carbs first and keeps fats relatively low while doing so.
The idea you want to be thinking about is not is the metabolic damage as real as people say. It is simply not as prevalent as most say. Instead as a physique goal based individual the question you should be asking is this. "Is there a better or more efficient way for me to reach my goals." Increasing metabolism does this for you and allows you to still build muscle while staying lean. It is a very different mindset, and one as a former fatty I had a very hard time grasping as I became afraid of food and what it normally does to me when not controlled instead of simply using it as a tool.
The other reason for the reverse diet is that the body is looking to rebound so like you mentioned if you jump right back into 2200-2500 cals a day right now you would start adding fat almost immediately. You do it correctly though and you can gain a lot of good muscle on that rebound while bolstering your metabolism."
