I have a ? for people who eat their exercise calories??

I go back and forth. I eat my exercise calories some days and not other days. My body seems to respond better to the zig-zag method so I never eat the same amt of calories every day. Some days I net 1100, some days I net 1600.

I just want to say to you that you should not think of a calorie as a BAD thing. There is a common misconception that calories are the devil etc. Eat what MFP tells you and feel free to eat your workout calories. You need the fuel and don't feel guilty. You are doing the right thing by getting in shape and eating right... I wish you so much luck.

Like you said eat higher fat/calorie versions of food you are eating already such as Milk, cheese, yogurt, salad dressings. Add olive oil to soups and sauces, add avocado to sandwiches and salads. Eat nut butters with you regular snacks etc.

This summer when I fist started cooking for myself, I had trouble eating all of my calories because I ate a lot of "light" foods and not doing a lot of real cooking, and was eating around 800 a day, not to mention going to the gym for about 2 hours at a time and burning 400 or more calories. I lost weight, which felt great, but it wasn't healthy. I was sleepy all the time, I took a 2 hour nap each day and was going to bed early. I've found that eating enough calories is definitely more beneficial both physically and emotionally than losing weight by not eating enough.

One way I get calories and nutrition is peanut butter. Since a small amount has a lot of calories, you can eat a serving with something like an apple and not be stuffed, but still satisfied, and you get nutrition from it in the form of protein.
Cooking with olive oil also provides calories, makes food taste more flavorful, and is better for you than other cooking substances like butter. Try sauteeing veggies with olive oil and spices.

EDIT: wow in the time I took to type this, someone else made the same suggestion! haha

I think you need to listen to your body. If you are feeling tired and sluggish that means you need them. I go through the same thing. I think I need to get better about eating earlier in the day. I hold off in case I don't work out but then I have too many calories left in the evening. I was slacking and let myself go under 1200 and I saw my weight loss slow down. Yesterday afternoon I did have some almonds and I did ok with calories. I also think I need to stop worrying so much about the extra little calories. I was eating my breakfast sandwich w/o butter, why?? At the end of the day I needed more calories. Look for things like that, that you may be omitting unncessarily.

Best of luck.

I do better when I eat bigger meals for breakfast and lunch, so I'm not trying to cram all my extra calories at the end of the day. And I like to have a glass of chocolate milk at bedtime, so there's 150-ish calories.

I usually eat a little more then my 1200 calories on my exercise days but never eat the whole amount..I find that I feel better when I do also...but then there's times when I can't...I never force myself to eat more I just make sure I eat 5-6 small meals a day and that's it..

Ugggg,for me its so hard to eat back calories burned i would have to eat 2,000plus on most days and I cant do it.Im more hungry on the days I dont work out than on the days I do.Such a tricky thing.

Your body needs fat! The problem with modern diets of fast food, restaurant and processed foods is that there are unhealthy levels in them.

But if you add a small amount of healthy fat to your diet, thats a good thing (and adds necessary calories). Healthy fats are things like olive oil, coconut oil, almonds, peanut butter, dairy products, lean beef, yogurts, etc.