Yeah I don't agree about the calories thing. That's a bit of "bro science" imo, not all calories are created equal. Calories from beef and calories from snicker bars aren't the same, so I don't think it's even helpful to talk about calories. Much more helpful to talk about macronutrients, carbohydrates, saturated fats, etc.
Let's say you ate the same amount of calories from an avocado and a snicker bar. One will burn fat from your body, one will add it.