In the UK, consumption of high fructose corn syrup is negligible (0.38kg per person per year), whereas in the US it’s 65 times higher (24.78kg per person per year). Yet we still have an obesity problem.
The answer is "carbs". Let's not quibble with the details.
EDIT: /s
Based on data around obesity, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Those who argue “calories in, calories out” have been doing everyone a great disservice when it turns out gut biome and what you’re eating plays a material role in the human energy balance.
I think calorie IO is a rule of thumb, and a reasonable summary though obviously incomplete. Where it is used as an argument against more sophisticated understanding of metabolism, it would be wrong.
Sweet tastes change a number of digestive processes, as does severe calorie restrictions.