re: Those of you who have quit drinking, how quickly do you lose the "beer belly"?

You can track calories with the MyFitnessPal app on your phone. It helps me out when I'm trying to cut back.

If you do a lot of cardio, 1 or 2 beers is actually good for you. Try a low calorie diet somewhere around 1,900 / day and add weights into your workout.

Also, training for a half marathon really helped me out.

With the calorie count, you have to include everything, including the beer intake. I usually pre-plan all my meals.

Two-a-Day workouts is also a good way to kick start your metabolism. Look into vitamins that will help give you additional nutrients you'll miss from cutting back on certain foods like red meats.

Good luck bro.