Heh. Asking Cheese if he converted.
Anyhow, I existed as a 340 pound vegetarian for 20 years. You can CLAIM that a "junk food eater" is not a vegetarian, but that doesn't make it so. I ate what I wanted, whenever I wanted - pizza, ice cream, cake, pasta, cookies.... but since it had no meat, any dictionary will tell you that's a vegetarian.
I will concede that most vegetarians are healthier than the average Joe, but that's not necessarily because the vegetarian diet is healthier. It's because MOST vegetarians are more strict about their health and are more apt to exercise more and avoid junk food.
That said, I have converted to a more healthy diet of mostly fruits and veggies. I still have quite my share of the "fake meats", like veggie burgers or vegetarian chicken nuggets. My uncle was told that his cholesterol was off the charts, so I helped him reduce his meat intake by half and his doctor is pleased with his progress. So there definitely are health benefits to reducing your meat intake.