I never look at the calorific content of foods. I always read ingredients. I know, more or less, which kinds of foods are high in calories and which aren't, so that's a good enough guide for me, but my main guide is my own appetite. It has always worked so far. DH, who wants to lose some weight (but isn't doing), looks at calories, but does not seem to have the same internal signals that I have. I wonder sometimes if that is what goes wrong when people put on weight they don't want and can't seem to lose it? The subject certainly seems very complex.