Calorie counting is so unreliable it hardly even matters. The calorie measurements are way off. There are so many sources of macronutrients and they are all digested differently and lead to so many different amounts of "Fuel" for the body. Just the different types of carbohydrates are bad enough. An actually accurate food label would look like the spec sheet for a 5th generation fighter jet.
This doesn't even take into account the variations in the human body. Some people digest different types of foods better than others. Then there are the gut microbiomes of each individual. By the time you get done, if you have counted 2000 calories you could be off by 25% or more.
The big advantage that makes calorie counting work is that it makes people actually think about what they are eating.
Yes, all bodies process food differently, and all measurement tools are inaccurate. One of the bigger benefits of tracking is the ability to see trends. If you're chronically low or high on a nutrient, a good tool will make this apparent to the user.
This doesn't even take into account the variations in the human body. Some people digest different types of foods better than others. Then there are the gut microbiomes of each individual. By the time you get done, if you have counted 2000 calories you could be off by 25% or more.
The big advantage that makes calorie counting work is that it makes people actually think about what they are eating.