Tora’s Bio
For many years I struggled with a clinical eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, and had many disordered beliefs about food and myself. I ended up weighing just 37kg/82lbs but, despite being so underweight, I still thought I could get thinner.
You may think that spending all day trying not to eat meant I wasn’t all that bothered about food. In fact, food was my obsession 24 hours a day. I woke up thinking about food and I went to bed thinking about food. What once was a way to feel in control became something that completely controlled me.
A turning point came when I realised I would never achieve the results I wanted as a runner if I didn’t stop my disordered eating beliefs and behaviour. This became my purpose for getting healthy again, and I slowly returned to a healthy weight which I’ve now maintained for around 15 years. I also progressed from being a runner to a successful triathlete, representing the UK in three world championships.
I am a qualified counsellor and personal trainer, and have helped 100s of people in my counselling practice to change their relationship with food and themselves. I also love to help people get motivated to exercise and upgrade their diet so they can have more confidence, more freedom and more lifestyle choices.
Having an eating disorder has left me with an intense hatred of diets and deprivation, counting calories and fashionable fads so my mission is to make weight control a lifestyle, not a life sentence.
I co-founded Donna & Tora because I believe being fit, healthy and in control of your weight is the platform that the rest of your life sits on. When you have your health, your fitness and you feel comfortable in your own skin, you can do anything!
Tora shares her story
Qualifications
- MSc Sports Management (Loughborough University)
- Graduate Diploma in Counselling (Australian College of Applied Psychology)
- Registered Personal Trainer (Australian Institute of Fitness)
- Advanced Certificate in Nutritional Science
- Holistic Lifestyle Coach (CHEK)
- Certificate of Psycho-Dietetics
