MrCuddly
Unfortunately being vegetarian doesn't always mean losing weight. Myself and others I've known have actually gained weight since going without meat. My theory is many of us after losing the protein source make up for it in carbs (like beans and rice) and more fattening proteins like dairy (cheese milks yogurt etc).
If you plan your diet carefully (as you're looking to do) your results will be closer to what you had in mind rather than just eating whatever's handy that doesn't happen to be meat. You DO have to plan more carefully as a vegetarian - but the end result will be that you're healthier (more disease free) and fitter for your efforts.
I went vegetarian because I had bad liver function, cholesterol through the roof, very high blood pressure etc. Instead of taking all the drugs that only made me sicker I decided on lifestyle changes (and going vegetarian was one of them) and no more drugs. In the words of my doctor "the improvement was almost miraculous" (although he didn't know I stopped using all the drugs he prescribed).