Sure there's other ways. Calories are what control your weight gain or weight loss, so eat anything while counting the calories and making sure they're low enough and you will naturally lose weight. But then you'll be a skinny, slightly flabby guy with no muscle tone, and still not happy with your body.
Vegetarians don't have it easy when it comes to losing weight, since some of the most common vegetarian foods can be high in natural sugars and carbs and low in fats and protein. But you certainly can lose weight this way. I usually have a mix of fruits, vegetables, starches, fats and proteins in the meals I cook for myself, or if i'm lazy go for a reduced-fat peanut butter & jelly sandwich on wheat (substitute banana for jelly for a healthier alternative).
It's getting trite at this point but you really should include a steadily-increasing weight lifting regimen to shed fat and gain lean muscle, in combination with the healthy eating. It doesn't even have to be as expensive or hard as the OP describes. My gym has a set of machines that target specific muscle groups, and a numbering system that lets you go down the line using each one in sequence. They also have small instructions for the number of reps and how to change up each rep. This is not the same thing as "lifting" weights, but combined with some actual lifts like the deadlift and squats, can be very effective at growing specific muscle. Which will help you lose fat quicker :)