• A bottle of wine contains about 480 calories.cork being pulled out of wine bottle with a corkscrew image by David Smith from Fotolia.com
  
  

Alcohol has Empty Calories

• The calories in wine are empty.Empty glass in hand image by Dmitry Sosenushkin from Fotolia.com
  
  In order to lose weight, the body must burn more calories than it consumes. It is also important that each calorie have some nutritional value. Wine is empty calories, meaning there is little nutritional value. But the body must still burn these empty calories to achieve weight loss. One glass of wine equals roughly 120 calories.
  
  

Most Diets Fail

• Moderation in drinking alcohol is key.red wine pouring down from a wine bottle image by mashe from Fotolia.com
  
  Dr. Mehmet Oz states that most diets fail because they're too restrictive. For example, cutting out carbohydrates is effective, but it's nearly impossible to maintain. The same goes for alcohol. One to two glasses of wine, while calorically empty, can lessen the restrictive feel of a diet and increase the chances of sticking to it.
  
  

Bottom Line

• Red wine also has cardiovascular benefits.red wine image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
  
  The bottom line is that it depends on your goals. If the weight loss is for an upcoming event, like a class reunion, then every calorie counts. But if this is to be a long lasting life-style change, then it's okay to include a moderate amount of wine.