I have been an ovo-lacto-vegetarian for 13 years now, and I currently weigh about 340 pounds.

I've tried to lose weight more times than I can count, but I find that being vegetarian limits my menu to mostly high calorie foods, such as cheese and pasta. What usually happens is that I quickly tire of the limited menu I prepare food from when I diet.

Rather than try to wing a lower calorie vegetarian diet, I would like to find a diet plan that is simple and and varied.

Any help is appreciated.

Hi! I'm a vegetarian too. While being a vegetarian does limit our choices a little bit, we can still have a healthier diet than going for the high carbs and high fat items. Plus, those items can leave you hungry again really fast. Here are some ideas:

Breakfast: an egg omlett filled w/ LOTS of steamed veggies.
or a smootie made w/ lowfat vanilla yogurt/frozen berries and a T of ground flax seed (you won't taste the flax seed, I promise )

snack: yes, eat them! You'll be less hungry at lunch time. Try to pick a whole food type thing here, like some raw veggies or whole grain slice of bread w/ peanut butter or a fruit w/ peanut butter or a some almonds.

Lunch: I have a salad every day, but it's HUGE! I always put some kind of beans on the salad for a protein. Protein is the thing that will keep you full. My new favorite is the basic salad base (leaves..lol I like romain & spinach or kale) topped w/ canned black beans rinsed, tomatoes, peppers and salsa (if I have leftover chili I'll put that on my salad too). It's taco salad basically..yummy! Or pineapple and chi chi beans are good as another option. If your not feeling beanie, some nuts are a good option. If I have leftover soup I have a cup.

Snack: same as morning snack

Dinner: I used to be a casserole lover (I'm guessing by your description, you are) but I really don't go there much anymore. I do have pasta & sauce about once per week, but I really limit my white flour type things beyond that. I make things like veggie chili (lots of beans, I use tvp or brown rice as a meat sub), stir fries: beans as the protien, clear type soups w/ lots of veggies & a salad, I do like Morningstar Farms veggie burgers things and will have them for dinner a night or two. Their "chicken" patties are delish w/ hot sauce and the leftover ones can go on a lunch salad. I make pizza on whole wheat wraps, just brush them w/ oil put them on a baking sheet until they toast up, then top w/ a little bit of sauce a tiny bit of grated cheese and some veggies. I use the wraps for quesidillas too, either fat free refried beans salsa or broccoli and a tiny bit of cheese to stick them. Sometimes, I do have the need for comfy food. It's usually satisfied w/ brown rice topped w/ saute'd mushrooms and onions and canned mushroom gravy and a veggie burger (It's kind of like salsburry steak).

Those are just a few ideas that might help you get away from the pasta and cheeses. I also visit some "veggie" sites for healthy recipes. There are some here too.

What about ... vegetables?

I used to eat veggie - not out of any particular desire, just that my roommate was veggie and it was easier to eat that way at home and not worry about having to cook multiple meals. It is seriously easy to fix low cal veggie meals if you break yourself out of the mindset of pasta and cheese. Here are a few suggestions:

Eggs in all way: omelets, fritattas, baked, etc, and loaded with veggies.
Beans of all types: can me made into soups, or drained and tossed with veg and some kind of vinaigrette for a salad - either hot or cold.
Lentils: same as beans
Pasta: not as the main part of your dish but as a base for veggies - the variations here are endless with things like veggie lasagna, pasta primavera, etc.
Rice: same as pasta - brown rice and wild rice cooked in veggie broth and served with a big pile of stir fried veggies - yum!
Veggies: steamed, baked, roasted, stir fried, made into soup (my big thing this week has been gazpacho - I've made a fresh batch every day for lunch and it's just so yummy during the hot weather)
Fruit: there are so many fresh fruits available in the summer for snacks or for breakfast. My favorite breakfast is plain yogurt (I make my own) with fresh blueberries. Peaches are coming into season, nectarines, all kinds of berries ... my favorite thing to serve when we grill out is a big fruit salad with a little bit of everything mixed in and topped with yogurt whipped with a little cinnamon. So good. And a great snack in the afternoon is as simple as an apple and an ounce of sharp cheddar cheese.
Peanut butter and nut butters: I love the natural nut butters on a piece of whole grain bread, or a whole grain english muffin, or even on apple chunks. Really healthy and
Soy products & meat substitutes: I'm not big fans of these, but I do like the Morningstar veggie burgers. There are all kinds of healthy meat substitute products available - just watch the packaging and make sure they're not full of sodium.

Seriously - it is so easy to eat healthy and low cal if you're an ovo-lacto veggie. It's a bit harder for me to figure out vegan menus, but I've done that too.

If you really want a meal plan, let me know your likes and dislikes, your calorie level, and how your cooking skills are and I can put together a day-by-day plan for you ... it's one of the things I really enjoy doing and I think I'm pretty good at it.