You have gotten a lot of great advice here. Just jump in and start.

I typically eat within a range of 1200 - 1800 cals depending on how hungry I am. I average 1500 cals a day. I try to snack on vegis, I have grown to love them and can not wait until my garden starts producing fresh vegis this year!!

1 oz of RAW chicken has 30 cals. 1 oz of cooked chicken has 50 cals. In other words, say your hunk-o-chicken weighs 5 oz when raw. 150 cals (5 oz x 30 cals). After you cook it, you have lost 2 oz of moisture, and now it only weighs 3 oz. But it's still 150 cals (3 x 50)

I always weigh my chicken after it's cooked and count it as 50 calories per ounce.