This thread is the opposite of the other calories thread. I've been working to cut for a while and was stuck at 185. I started using My Fitness Pal and now I'm at 179. My plan is to stay at a deficit (with the exception of the weekend of Cola Warrior) until the last week in June. I lift 3 days per week, do pullups (sets of 16-20) 2x per day, and walk 3 miles 5 times per week. MFP had me at roughly 2200 calories per day to maintain a loss of 1lb per week and it has been very accurate.

What would be a good starting point to start gaining while minimizing fat gain? Should I set MFP to maintenance and try that? Bump it to gain 1lb/wk? I've come a long way and am ok with sacrificing a little size/strength gain to minimize packing on fat.

When you set it to maintenance and +1lb/week what are the calorie totals it gives you?

For me personally, I think bulking is harder than cutting.  If I'm reading you correctly, you want to minimize fat gain while putting on some mass?

I'd start with adding in some carbs and protein around your workout window both pre and post and then adjust from there based on perceived strength and what you see in the mirror.

Setting it to gain 1lb per week puts me at 2900 calories. Gaining .5lb puts me at 2700. Maintenance is 2400. That doesn't include any exercise. Just tracking my 3 mile walks would put me around 3100, 2900, and 2600.

Yes, I want to minimize fat gain while bulking. I know I'm going to gain some fat, but I want to keep it to a minimum. I started losing weight at 264 and was 178 this morning, so I'd like to keep my BF% low.

Reverse diet. add an extra 50-100 calories a day each week until your weight starts moving up .

Your programming in the gym will play a major role in adding muscular body weight as well.  

Please give us an example of your program.  

I've been doing SL 5x5, but I think I'm going to switch over to something like the Hercules workout when I start trying to bulk up. Most of the guys I see that stick with the 5x5 and 531 programs end up looking more like a power lifter. That's not the build I want. If I'm wrong about that, I have no problem with sticking to 5x5 or 531. That's just what it seems like I've seen.

So to answer your question, right now I do SL 5x5 3x per week, at least 2 sets of 18-22 pull-ups every day, and walk 3 miles 5x per week.

Mix the Hercules workout in with the 5/3/1. You get one day of heavy and the rest is the assistance work or do the 531 at the beginning of the workout and use the Hercules workout for the day as assistant work.