I almost blew my vegetarian diet; your thoughts?!

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It takes practice to change routine, especially with humans (and certain animals). When you get hungry and or pressed for time, willpower weakens.
One question: Where did you get the yogurt and almonds after you looked at the menu?

it happens to me too, I am vegan and it is very difficult to find vegeterian combo in my ole fav. resterant Applebee so I just eat salad . Until boss came by , my mom told him what happened...he was like "I am gotta try make a change since she like coming here"

It was hard because before I ordered salad I was thinking about getting cheesecake, lobster, etc. then I went back to new "me" that said "No, don't blow it! it is not an vegeterian diet" Here I was eating salad on my bday. Yea, that day was my bday .

I guess when we are still transitioning, we will face a few challenges sometimes especially when a lot of restaurants are not very veg-friendly. Trust me it will get easier, changing our habits just takes some time. Remind yourself of why you decided to go veg, pretty soon meat will not appeal to you at all. You're doing a good thing :-) You can do this! Check out veg-friendly restaurants in your area for delicious vegetarian food www.happycow.net

just dont look at it and dont buy it
think of sad thoughts
u dont havvvvvveee to buy it
you just want to
so just try to resist that and find some meat alternatives
hope it will work out
good luck
-joseph
ruler of the world

the common liberal atheist vegetarian

You are probably still getting used to it. While you are adjustinng, it might be best to avoid llooking at stuff that you miss.

just think of a little chick-let without its mummy crying ='[ .. feel sad now

Just because there are no obvious vegetarian options on a menu doesn't mean you can't find something. The types of chain restaurants you mentioned can always make something like a chicken quesadilla without the chicken.

I'm looking at applebee's menu and I see a few pasta dishes, most of which could be ordered without the chicken or the shrimp. Same thing goes for the salads. If you see a particular item listed anywhere on the menu you can often have it put on another dish. For example, I look for corn, black beans, and avocado on menus to see if I can ask to have them in a quesadilla or on top of a salad to make it more satisfying. Applebee's has a steak section which means they are also going to have side dishes like some sort of vegetable and probably a baked potato- both of which you can ask for. If I was eating there I'd probably order the Crispy Orange Chicken and just ask for extra vegetables and no chicken. It actually looks pretty good.

Scour the menu and be creative =)

...and it looks like Ruby Tuesday DOES have veggie burgers in the lunch combo section

http://www.rubytuesday.com/menu

It's easy to crave meat when you first become a vegetarian, but those wants will eventually fade. Great job distracting yourself with almonds and yogurt! The vegetarian options at places like Applebee's and Ruby Tuesday's tend to either be unsatisfying or unhealthy (I tend to choose unhealthy, haha) but there are definitely options. If you're pescatarian (A.K.A.: If you still eat fish) there are usually meals with fish. Otherwise, you might be stuck with a salad or pizza, but don't be afraid to ask! Sometimes the waiter forgets to mention a special, or he or she doesn't mention that they will alter meals by not putting in whatever meat is usually in that meal. Just be sure to ask that it doesn't involve beef or chicken broth and/or lard (these are more of a problem with meals that have sauces)! Good luck!

Vegetarian for 3 years.

We have friends who eat a vegan diet. They have said that it is very difficult for them to go out to eat. I know that Ruby Tuesday's has a salad bar, but there aren't any good vegetarian or vegan choices for the protein that is needed. These places need to get up-to-date, since more people are making healthy choices. People need to 1) complain at the restaurant (hopefully they will get tired of the complaints & change things) 2) write to these places & let them know this 3) stop eating there & tell your friends (if they lose money, they will change-you have to let them know why you aren't eating there though). I admire what you are doing. Good luck.