January 2008 I took a leap of gut-feeling faith and went back to school. I started in Chemistry 101 with the freshman! Physiology, Intro To Dietetics, Cultural Foods and Statistics rounded out my first semester. I used to eat lunch by myself in the drafty old union and sometimes alone in the dining hall. Now I have so many fun friends I’ve made along the way!
The following semesters included more chemistry, more nutrition and more friends!
A year-and-three-quarters later….I’m down to the final four classes in the R.D. coursework!!
(Yeah, I’ve still got half a master’s program to go, but I’m not worrying about that at the moment because I can take my time finishing as an R.D.)
I got lead in my pencils
New tabs on my dividers
Snacks in my bookbag
And a clean slate!
NO CHEMISTRY!!! NO LABS!!!! SO EXCITED!!
Here’s my class schedule. It’s going to be a unique semester because my first class isn’t until 2PM!! I actually think it’ll work well for me, though, because I am most productive in the mornings and I won’t have to get up at 5AM to exercise for the first time years!
| 2-3:15 | 3:30-5 | 5-8 | |
| Monday | Metabolism | Nutrition Education Theory and Practice | |
| Tuesday | FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| Wednesday | Metabolism | Nutrition Education Theory and Practice | Medical Nutrition Therapy |
| Thursday | Community Nutrition | ||
| Friday | FREE!!!!!!!!!! | !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
- Note that classes do not begin until 2PM
- Note that I have TWO night classes this semester 🙁
- Note that there are NO LABS!!!!!!!!!!
- Note that for the first time, I have no classes on Fridays
***
Matt’s working 9-5 today, so we had the perfect opportunity to run together! Just under 5.0 miles. And guess what – my pace is still fast! One of our miles was 8:33!!!!!!!!!!!!! The others: 9:05 (first), 8:35, 8:45 and the final wasn’t 100% complete. I don’t know what changed in my legs, but my pace quickened overnight after that run with AnneP!
And hopefully it will get faster with new running shoes. We both desperately need them and I am putting them into our September budget.
Before our run I had 2 bites of banana + H20 just to put something in my stomach so it wouldn’t growl.
For breakfast, I soaked some oats to have this morning.
I usually do equal parts oats, milk and yogurt, but last night I wasn’t really thinking and did half a cup of oats to 3/4 cup milk, so it turned out kinda soupy and not all thick and doughy like when I use yogurt. See the Overnight Oats page for the info on the traditional method!
This morning I added the rest of the banana, a half cup of farmer’s market blueberries, about 1/3 cup Nature’s Path Granola, 1 tbsp flax, and a half tbsp each of Raspberry Rhubarb Ginger preserves and Hazelnut butter
Plus perfectly frothed French press Marley Coffee
I haven’t even thought about what to wear today and still need to get dressed. Hopefully I’ve got a few hours to work before I drive down to Winthrop (a 30-minute commute with minimal car-pooling this semester due to mis-matched schedules 🙁 )
***
Ashley’s Mascarpone Dip!!! It was heavenly. I SpringPaded It – a way to clip recipes from the internet. The tool has gotten a lot more feature lately that I like! Much more user friendly. I need to clean mine up and actually make some of the recipes I have saved!
***
It’s August 26th!!!!!!!!!!! 2 months till my birthday!
Adios!
Pam (Highway to Health) says
Love the chemistry goggles! My boyfriend and I met in chemistry lab so I always tell everyone that the goggles are what made him fall in love with me!!
Good luck with school! Fresh starts are the best.
Daria (Summer of the CSAs) says
I love back to school time! That’s a great schedule – so much flexibility!
Christie @ Quit Your Diet says
Wow, looks like you have an awesome schedule! Enjoy your final RD classes!
Whitney says
Good luck with school! I think about going back to school all the time. If you can do it, I’d like to think I could as well. 😀
Lizzy says
Good luck this semester Kath!!!!! its almost that time that i get myself back as well!!!!! Your schedule looks awesome! 🙂
Cait (Cait's Plate) says
YAAAAAAAY for it being the 26th! I thought of you this morning when I woke and saw the date on my phone 🙂
I’m loving these recap posts, it’s so fun to go back and remember all the fun things!
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR FIRST DAY!! I’m so jealous!!
brandi says
glad you two got to run together this morning 🙂 and yay for the final 4 classes!!!!
Tracey says
Oh, how exciting! I wish you a wonderful first day at school. 🙂 And HOORAY – you’re so close to being done!
haya says
omg! i signed up for springpad ages and ages ago (long enough to have forgotten my password!) and never used it. thanks for the reminder. it’s such a cool tool!
HURRAY FOR NO LABS
good luck on your last (!?) first day.
Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats says
Eeek – good luck today!! What an awesome schedule – going out in style 🙂 Great job on the run too – you two are blazing fast!
Erin says
Good luck! You’re almost finished — and the first day of school is always the most exciting. 🙂
Jessica says
Wow, those are some hairy legs! (Matt’s, that is). 😉
Good luck with back to school! Looks like a great schedule although Wednesday will be a long day.
Have fun!
megan says
Kath, I really admire you for following your gut and going back to school. This seems like a perfect fit for you! I wish I could do the same! Your classes look really interesting this semester – especially metabolism. I hope you’ll share a little on the blog!
I LOVE new school supplies!!
Joanne says
Your schedule looks great. Hopefully you’ll be sharing all that interesting info with us along the way.
You must be almost there – enjoy the ride.
Traci says
Oh! You are so excited to get back to school…Awesome when you have something to energize you like that. Good Luck!
Holly says
Since I took a Coordinated Program to get my BS and RD in one fell swoop, I sometimes get confused about where you are in the process. How much interning do you have left? Have you done your hospital rotations?
MelissaNibbles says
Good luck with your classes Kath. I love your new school supplies 🙂
Eve says
Good luck with your first day of classes!! You have some interesting ones, MNT is very challenging but you will learn so much!
Erica says
That is the CUTEST pic of you and Matt! A keeper for sure. Glad you guys had a nice run. Your schedule looks awesome- I am so happy that you decided to go back to school so you can do what you really love.
hahah funny birthday comment. I just realized that mine is next week a few days ago…is that sad? 😉
Kristen says
Your birthday is Oct. 26th? I’ve been reading your blog for a while and never realized we shared the same birthday! What a fantastic day 😉
Best of luck on your first day back!
Buzz says
Study hard and remember to raise your hand!
Love, Mom
Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope says
What a fun post Kath! You’ve definitely come a long way since Chemistry 101. 🙂 And looks like a pretty good schedule this year! Wednesday’s might be a little busy, but Friday’s off is a huge bonus.
Have a great day!
Pam says
Make it a great one, Kath!
Great memories!
Seth says
Congrats on this being your last semester (at least for RD). This is my last semester too! I went back for a Master’s. I am working while taking night classes, so I am really busy and am REALLY looking forward to having more free time again.
I’ll second what a few people said about sharing what you learn in class. I think it would be interesting to learn more about metabolism.
kay (eating machine) says
I love the first day of school feeling!
have a great one!
Seth says
P.S.
My Mom is an R.D. so I have a special appreciation for what you are doing. Good luck with it!
Holly (The Healthy Everythingtarian) says
i love the feeling of a fresh slate – LOVED your recap post last night. you sure have had a fabulous summer my dear – lots of traveling (my fave!).
have a fabulous day dear!
Amy C. says
Have a good first day back! I go back to grad school in 2 weeks. How do you keep organized for your classes? Do you use one binder for all of them or do you have one for each class? I don’t know what I’m doing yet so I like to get input from various people.
Sarah says
Have a great day of school! I’m so glad you took a leap of faith to pursue a career you are obviously passionate about. So many of us could learn from your example 🙂
Marisa (Trim The Fat) says
That’s a great schedule! Good luck on your first day!
Lindsay @ bananaandchocolate says
Have a great first day of classes! I would have loved not starting classes until 2!
Emily (A Nutritionist Eats) says
I am not missing all of those Science classes at all!! 😉
Faye says
Yay! I’m glad that you’re almost done! I decided to go back to school as well- to become a nurse practitioner- so I’ve gotta take all my science courses as well!
And yay for running faster! Question- do you ever run on the treadmill? I need to work on my running but I hate running in hot weather. Some people I’ve spoken to say that they feel like they run faster outside, but I like the treadmill because I can see how fast I’m running.
rhodeygirl says
love going down nostalgia lane with you kath. i can’t believe i have been following your life for so long now. it is kind of crazy, isn’t it?
Beth @ CrossBorderCravings says
Best of luck on back to school! You HAVE had a fun summer – so many vacations! That’s great though, it’s always nice to be ready to get down to business when the time comes!
jess says
I’ve been kicking around going back to school, especially since we have such a big tuition reimbursement here. I’m interested in becoming an RD too but I don’t know where to get started. My undergrad degree is in media so I’d probably have to take all the science courses to get caught up.
Sheri says
Have a great first day of classes! Love the goggles!
Heather says
Good luck with your first day back at school. I always love the start of the semester – organizing your binders and notebooks and new planners! I still keep that tradition going and buy myself a nice new planner each fall.
Kyle says
OMG Kath! We have the same birthday?!?!? (OCT 26th?!)
I’ve read your blog for a long time, and I never knew!
Woo!
– Kyle
Evan Thomas says
I don’t have my schedule yet, but my ideal would be classes 11-1 and 3-5. I love having a little time in the morning, but not too much or else I want be productive at all
Anne P says
Glad to see I’m keeping you fast 😉
Mara @ What's For Dinner? says
I’ve GOT to remember to make overnight oats for school days. I’m completely envious of your schedule! I used to love having my mornings free and then night classes.
Jenna says
its that time of year again…back to school 🙂
Hope all of your classes go well kath!
jenna
HeatherBakes says
Congrats on your final four classes! I hope this semester goes well for you!
Marina says
I hope you’ll enjoy your classes!
p.s. I love your schedule, I always have classes from 8 am till 4pm(or longer)
Run Sarah says
I feel you on how excited it is to be further ahead on the long education path! Love how organized your binders are too, I need to work on that!
AnnQ says
Good for you on going back to school! 🙂 And no classes on Fridays is always a good thing!
Rebecca says
I am so jealous of the classes you’re taking. My school doesn’t offer a nutrition program so I just changed my major to Journalism with a double minor in english & bio. I really want to become a certified nutritionist and write for health magazines though
Alison says
Good luck today! Thanks for a fun post that left me with a smile on my face. 😀
Kailey (SnackFace) says
Ahh! Good luck with the start of a new school year! It’s such a fun time of year–you never know what can happen!
And what a killer breakfast to kick off the year!
Elsa says
Congrats!! Such an exciting semester! Not that the others weren’t but this one probably feels like such an accomplishment!
K says
This post just made me so excited to get back to school! Thumbs down to night classes but MAJOR thumbs up to no labs!!
Erica says
Your classes sound so interesting and actually, FUN! Can’t wait for you to share your knowledge with the rest of us. Have a great semester!
Oh, and GREAT RUN! GREAT TIMES! I know you are stoked!
Kerry says
I am also excited to have no labs this semester, which means no lab reports either. I don’t start until next week though, so enjoying my last few days of summer break. Good luck!
LOVES KERF!! says
Kath–I adore you–but you need to shave your legs a bit more often! LOL!! J/K Best of luck with your new Fall Schedule . XO
Danielle says
Is it weird that I’m so jealous that you get to go back to school soon? I would love to be going back!
Julie says
good luck today!! I love new school supplies, so jealous!
Zuki says
Geez Kath you might wanna shave that right leg of yours, might make you run even faster. LOL
Lynna says
Kath, I’ve been seriously considering going back to school for my R.D. (I just graduated undergrad this May) but like you, I have no preparation with science classes etc. Did you find those classes very challenging? What helped you make your decision? I have thought about it a lot but making big decisions has always been difficult for me.
Anyway, congratulations on being almost done! It takes a lot of courage to follow your gut feelings!
Emily says
How exciting! Good luck on your first day of school 🙂 I am starting General Chem next week myself! Eeeek.
Mia says
Good luck! This final semester looks like so much fun. Time is going to fly and before you know it, you will start your internship. So exciting!
Ashley says
I’m so jealous, i wish i could go back to the student lifestyle!
Susan @ Nurse on the Run says
You look so young in that chemistry picture!
Enjoy your last classes…my senior year dietetics classes were the best since we finally got to pull everything together!
Megan says
It’s very clear to me that you still struggle a LOT with food. You have a totally warped perception of what it it like to be overweight. Looking at your college pictures, you look very healthy. You may have made many strides in your eating disorder recovery, but you still have a long way to go before you’re equipped to giver others advice. I’ve struggled long and hard with an eating disorder and I find this site very “triggering”. I hope you realize that you’re not as healthy as you may think and take care of yourself.
Jenn Eats Nutritiously Now says
Sounds like you’re gonna have a great semester!
Liz says
Yay for starting school. I started this week too. That’s awesome that you’re almost done! I still have about 2 1/2 years left 🙁 Have fun!
Ashley says
I spy an ota.bar in your bag!! =) =) Hope you had a great first day!
Kiersten says
You must be so excited about being almost done with school. Good for you!
I know how you must have felt last year. I just transferred schools (to UNC) and I only know one person. I started on Monday and I feel like a loner at the moment.
Alicia says
Good luck with your start of school! It is a different schedule but I can see how you can make it work.
Springpad is awesome! Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to play more with it later!
Jenn (www. j3nn.net ) says
Good luck with school — ! 🙂
Jenn
Jessica says
Before you buy new running shoes, go to the library and check out: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall! A great read and very, very interesting. I have been running with minimalist shoes ever since!
Chloe (Naturally Frugal) says
Sweet schedule! Night classes won’t be too bad, especially since they’re only 2 days a week. Starting at 2 p.m. is really nice, I love having later classes so that I can get stuff done in the morning. You’re motivating me to go back to school!
lynn (The Actors Diet) says
nice schedule! i haven’t been in school for so long (over a decade!) but i miss shopping for notebooks and nice pens…
emmy - eatventures says
Great post; I was a teacher, and now I want to be an RD and my first chemistry class is on Monday. I’m so excited! 🙂
Paige says
Aww! So exciting going back to school I’d love, love, love to go back, but with working full time it’s not an option. We just cant’ swing it financially.
Your oats look amazing!
Carrie H says
I really don’t want to start a debate here, nor am I defending or attacking either Kath or Megan, comment #64, but I’m a long-time reader and Kath has never said she has/had an eating disorder. In fact, she has said the opposite: That she never had an eating disorder but gained weight over a few years of injury during college, and little-by-little overeating …
Angie says
Good luck with your semester. Seeing your classes brings back memories- Good luck and have fun!
Jess says
Kath I love how organized you are! I am the same way. Good luck this semester!
I also wanted to say respectfully to Megan (#64) there is a HUGE difference between looking a certain weight and being healthy. You don’t necessarily have to be “overweight” in college to stay up late, drink lots of alcohol, and order pizza at 2am (Not saying that’s what Kath did but as an example). That lifestyle is not healthy no matter what weight you are. The fact of the matter is that Kath made a lifestyle change, she eats intuitively and exercises — Go Kath!. I think that is more important than how much she weighs.
Tay says
Yay for no chem and no labs!! I remember when I was done with Chem!! And metabolism was my favorite nutrition class (although ours was called Nutrient Metabolism – I’m sure it’s the same thing). So interesting and feels great when you learn it all and can walk though digestion step by step! 🙂
angieinatlanta says
I love new school supplies! I always feel so organized and together at the beginning of a new school year!
M says
Kath’s site is triggering? I feel like it’s the opposite — a representation of balance and moderation. I don’t mean Meg’s comment isn’t a valid opinion, but I don’t agree.
I think K is a self-professed control-freak. Yes, she’s diligent about her food choices, but look how organized she is in her daily life! It’s simply her personality. She’s super organized and very structured, whether it’s about school or food or something else. So?
Kath says
Holly ,
I’m finishing my last four classes of DPD requirements and will do my 6 month dietetic internship (the official one) from January – July (if I get accepted!) and will sit for the RD exam after that, THEN finish my masters!
Erica ,
HAPPY future birthday!!!
Kristen + Kyle ,
It’s the best one ever!! I was born at 9:35 AM…
Amy C.,
One binder, 4 dividers with pockets, folders at home to put things in that I used and no longer need (returned assignments, articles, etc.).
Faye ,
I don’t care for treadmills at all, but I will use them when traveling or when ellipticals are not available. I always think TMs are easier and run faster on them then I do outside where there’s wind resistance and hills.
jess ,
Start by researching schools in your area and contacting the program heads there for more info. You might find a program that fits your needs well. It can’t hurt to check!
Lynna ,
Yes, the sciences were very hard, but luckily the nutrition classes come very easily for me (at least thus far!) I was a science person growing up, so I had that help, but you’ll survive! Take them at a community college, which was easier for me at least.
Megan ,
I’m sorry you feel that way…
Kath
Kyle says
I was born at 5:40 AM…I JUST found that out. Believe it or not, I never knew before.
Kammie says
omg kath! i used that chemistry book for AP Chemistry! It’s a great book!! 🙂
MegaNerd says
I have the exact same chem book! Ugh… I had to take chem 1 and chem 2.. .i hate that class!!!
Jen says
It’s August 26th. It IS my birthday!!!!! 🙂
Emily says
Congrats on finishing so much! Your last 4 classes sound fun, and it’s so great that you have no sciences to worry about. 🙂 Good luck as you finish your classes, Kath!
Kath says
Jen,
Happy Bday!!!!!!!!!!
K