'Counselling was life-changing': New programme aims to increase eating disorders awareness

Inside Out, a new programme for secondary schools, educates teens about the links between dieting, body image, and self-esteem

Conor Nolan: "I wanted to get my health back, my life back. The penny dropped: The power was in my hands. If I could get the weight back on, I’d get my life back. It was a great turning point." Picture: Lorraine Teevan.

Conor Nolan is 26, with a background in software engineering, but the Cavan man doesn’t know why, at the age of 12, his love of football and running took a sinister turn.

“I was big in to football and running. And then I started exercising more and eating less. I kind of knew something wasn’t right: The exercise and training had gone from fun to something I felt I had to do. I had this fear of gaining weight. It was no longer enjoyable.