tips for success

being vegetarian is a really hard thing to do, especially if you've been eating meat your entire life. for me, i grew up being vegetarian, but health-reasons made me stop when i was 10. however, i still had a little trouble switching to a vegetarian diet.

1. the main thing you need to do is toss the bad foods out of your kitchen. i know it seems like the food is going to waste, but the food will go to waste either way. so why would you tempt yourself like that? even with the best willpower, you can still fall. also- when i say bad food, i am not just referring to meats. i mean anything that is not natural or wholesome. these foods are mostly just snack foods, but they're the most dangerous to your diet. potato chips, cake, cookies... they're high in calories and in fat, and they're not very filling. and given the choice between having a bag of chips (200 cal) or an apple (80 cal), most people choose the chips. so trust me, if you throw them away, your switch will be much more successful.
2. pick up a couple vegetarian cookbooks. just because you're vegetarian doesn't mean your only options are tofu or salads. there's a huge variety of choices that we have available, and a cookbook will help open your eyes to this. i have found many great cookbooks that focus solely on vegetarian food, and i will post reviews of them on my blog.
3. realize what your intents are. are you just going vegetarian to be vegetarian or are you doing it for health or personal belief reasons? if you have a strong devotion to your choice to become a vegetarian, the switch is much easier to make. 

with any major lifestyle change you make, the first month is always going to be the hardest. just push through and stay dedicated.