Try staying away from fruit as well! Fruit is among the worst carbs for glycemic index. At least for the first couple weeks, you should stay completely away from carbs. You will see a significant change. But it means eating cheese and/or salad every few hours.
I've done the Atkins plan twice for up to 18 months, by keeping a strict no carb diet. I lost 30 lbs the first time, and 40 lbs (while training for a marathon at the same time) the second time. But I bet it would be pretty tough to do that if you're a vegetarian, as the majority of low carb food is meat and cheese.
You should take a look at
Dr. Atkins book if you haven't already. I think that there is a chapter on Atkins for Vegatarians.