It would seem that actually counting calories would cause one to favor the wrong sorts of foods..i.e. a nice buttery baked chicken thigh with the skin on is going to look like a lot more calories than a pop tart.

Counting calories would also make it seem as if calories are something that needs to be restricted/reduced...so when baking the chicken thighs, it would be tempting to remove the skin and bake them dry...this is not going to make a very tasty or satisfying meal.

Now if I decide, before eating, that I'll probably be satisfied with two buttery baked chicken thighs with the skin on and stop (gotta stop, because you know they're still tasting really good!) to realize that I am indeed satisfied, that is just good practice of the "eat when hungry and stop when satisfied" advice. That advice is basically (loose) calorie counting.