Preparation for a vegetarian diet

I am preparing to exerience the supposed health benefits of a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. Lately, my body has been telling me that it is preparing for a break from its dependence on meat and it wants my mind fo follow suit. I believe I should listen to this message. It is important to listen to what our bodies are telling us so we can keep ourselves fit and healthy.

At this point, I am in a stage of information gathering. I am have found some interesting information that should get me started down the path at http://www.veggie123.com/ - there is a useful e-book there that I am currently reading.

I believe my body's desire to shift toward a vegetarian diet is no accident nor a mere whim; it is the direct result of my diligent daily practice of Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung. I have been practicing "Plucking Stars, Changing Galaxies" at least once daily to work on my digestive health for the past month, and I can say definitively that the results have been positive. Although my body mass has not really begun to change much, I have noticed that some of my excess fat is converting into muscle and my food cravings have almost entirely disappeared. Smaller quantities of food are satisfying to me now, and I am actively seeking out a more nutritious thoroughfare.

If any of my readers are established vegetarians, I would love to hear about your experiences and also hear your pointers and tips about maintaining a balanced but varied and tasty diet.

Update 5/13/2009:
I have done additional research on achieving a balanced vegetarian diet, and it seems the primary fears are that of the paradigm shift. I've checked out The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, by Nava Atlas and it seems like a great place to start. I have the support of Faythe, my wife, and for ethical and dietary reasons we are going to make the switch together. At this point, we are going with a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. This should be fairly easy to accomplish. We are planning on the first full day of vegetarian diet starting on 5/15/2009, after we have used the remainder of our ground turkey supply.