I have read many books stating that an easy way to lose weight is to simply cut

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I have read many books stating that an easy way to lose weight is to simply cut down on fat intake. The rationale behind this thinking is that fat has far more calories per gram than other groups of food; hence, cutting down on fat will automatically mean a lower calorie consumption. However, I have been doing some label comparisons lately. A serving of skim milk has 120 calories and 0.3g of fat. And reduced fat milk has 4 g of fat (more fat, as we would expect) BUT it has 119 calories! Less colories, despite much more fat. I have noticed similar comparisons with museli bars, and some other foods. How can this be, if fat is supposed to have more calories?? And, if the two milks have similar calories, does that mean they are equal to the weight-conscious consumer? Is the lower fat food "better", even though the actual energy being consumed is identical? Thanks for any advice!