I WANNA BE YOUR FRIEND! And I'm also a new vegetarian.

Hi Natalie - A few words of encouragement; we live in a small town and find it very difficult/frustrating at times to find vegetarian food at the restaurants. As we both work, we tend to eat out frequently because life gets too hectic to cook!
We drifted into vegetarianism over a number of years, finally making the plunge maybe 10 years ago now. I understand about getting a lot of flack from people who just can't fathom living without meat (if they would just call it "dead animal tissue", I think that would give them cause to reconsider.) This food program (myfitnesspal) is really excellent at pointing up any shortcomings in your food choices; for example, I found my food choices were falling short on protein and fiber by the end of my calorie allowance, so I'm concentrating on finding foods with higher concentrations in those areas.
As for being unhealthy, both my husband and I have really, really improved our cholesterol counts since we started. Our blood tests keep coming back with good scores across the board. We are just into our 60's, and at this time of life the consequences of your poor habits really start to show.
You only need to approve of yourself - other people will eventually tire of arguing with your convictions. We've found the frozen vegetarian patties most helpful when going to food-based gatherings - your host can easily microwave or grill one for you and then you just enjoy the side dishes. It takes a lot of pressure off everyone. I think that may be a large part of the negative reactions from your friends - they're afraid you may be judging them for being carnivores!
Best of luck - and good health to you for all your life!