Vegan, Vegetarian or neither ?

After having some issues with eating meat lately and being lactose intolerant I have been thinking about going Vegan or Vegetarian. Since my lap band has gone bad I have not been able to eat meat comfortably for over a year now . It hurts going down , it feels like it gets stuck nearly every time I eat it . So Its just not work it to me I dont think anymore.
I am not sure if I know how to be a vegan or a vegetarian , although I probably eat 80% vegetables as it is now . But it hit me the other day .. What I am doing is not eating correctly during the majority of the day because meat bothers me , so I am not getting much protein in , then I turn to high calorie high fat things like Ice cream and sweets to get " Full" on , which is causing in part my weight gain .
So is anyone a vegan or vegetarian ?