Training Day Calories vs Resting Day Calories

I've always followed the principle of keeping a base caloric intake and then increasing that intake on days that I workout, matching the extra calories I eat with how many calories I expect to burn.

For example, my basic caloric intake per day is 1,200 (trying to lose weight) and if I don't do anything too active that day (I sit down for long periods of time for work and school) then I'll consume 1,200 calories because it'll just be my body using energy to live. If I do plan to workout and burn an extra 400 calories (based on my average od that workout) then I'll plan my meals so I eat 400 calories more that day.

While this worked for me when I last lost weight years ago, I'm not an expert on the topic so I can be wrong.

"I read an article which talked about how using this method helps with body composition."
Ask yourself for who it helps and by how much..... You need to read articles carefully to see if benefits are quantified and significant. If this method gave a 0.0001% benefit is that significant?
Is it actually aimed at calorie counters or just general advice to have some more carbs on a high exercise day?
Is it aimed at people training primarily for strength/physique or cardio performance?
As an example depending on what exercise you are doing then low carb when recovering is a really bad idea, for other sports/exercise it could be neutral.

"You'd have less calories (low Carbs) on resting days. And more calorie intake and more carbs for energy on training days. This was also known as Calorie Cycling? "
Eating more on exercise days (how this site is designed to be used) in theory just keeps your chosen calorie balance stable.
Personally I like this method of accounting for exercise as it suits my major sport and also my eating preferences and fuelling needs for large exercise calorie burns.

"Feeling a bit confused on the subject as there are other articles and other research that states you don't need to do this and in fact require the same amount each day especially for recovery purposes. "
"Need" is a very strong word and really not appropriate in this context. People get good results from calorie cycling, carb cycling but also when not calorie and/or carb cycling. The TDEE approach (same every day calorie and macro goals) works very well for some people.


Summary - it's all about goals and personal context. I would hazard a guess that for the majority of people concentrating on the quality and effectiveness of their training would give far greater return if you are looking for what to prioritise.