I've been a strict vegetarian for 12+ years now. I never like meat as a child and rarely ate it, when I was 19 I offically stopped eating meat and even began reading labels to make sure I wasn't eating any 'hidden meat'.
For me, there are several reasons. First, the idea of meat is just repulsive to me. I don't like the taste or the texture, and just thinking about eating the flesh of another animal makes me sick to my stomach.
Second, I do love animals and I don't understand why I should kill another living creature for food when I am perfectly able to sustain myself without their suffering or death. I wouldn't eat something that I wasn't willing to kill myself.
Third, and this was just a bonus as I learned more about it, cattle production has a devestating impact on the environment. The methane alone is a reason many become vegetarian for environmental reasons.
Now, my weight has changed greatly (120 - 311 lbs) - so I have been both thin and obese as a vegetarian. This is due, in no small part, to a 10 year struggle with an eating disorder... but that is beside the point. My point is that a vegetarian diet isn't necessarily a healthy diet. It is simply meat-free.
I always get confused when people say they are vegetarian but they eat fish and chicken. LOL
Not eating red meat doesn't make you a vegetarian, not eating any meat at all does. And not eating any animal byproducts at all makes you vegan. I don't eat gelatin or eggs... but I do eat some cheese. So I am not vegan.
It is a pet peeve of mine when meat eaters are very forceful in challenging my beliefs. People I don't even know want to know why I am vegetarian and seem defensive about their meat eating. I'm not saying that is what this post is about... because it obviously is not. But it made me think of all the times I have had to defend my choice to not eat meat - as if it effects anyone else! I'm not sure why that is... None of my friends or family members are vegetarian, and I have no problem with it. That is their personal choice. I never give them a bad time, or ask them to justify their decision to eat meat. In fact, my husband is a big meat eater...
Anyway...I'm going off in a tangent. I enjoyed reading everyones responses.