A fitness mum has been accused of fat shaming her followers, after sharing a post of her abs and flat stomach to her Instagram account with a caption reading ‘No Excuse’. Abby Pell from East Sussex said she originally posted the image as a way of encouraging other mothers to lose post-pregnancy weight when she shared the picture posing alongside her daughter. The snap, which shows Abby pulling up her t-shirt and her daughter pointing to her stomach, is captioned: “I have a kid, a six pack and no excuse.”

A photo posted by • A B B Y P E L L • (@superabs) on Dec 3, 2014 at 2:06pm PST

The mother’s post has divided opinions, with some online users congratulating the mum on her hard work in the gym, while others branded the post ‘shameless’, ‘fat-shaming’ and told her she was exploiting her motherhood. Abby insists that she wanted to encourage women to exercise rather than use fad diets, saying she achieved her shape while still juggling motherhood, her own nutrition business and going to the gym six days a week. Speaking to the MailOnline, Abby said: “I was on the heavier side so I tried a range of weight loss plans like The Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet and just generally restricting my daily calorie allowance. But I would always end up so hungry I'd get to the point where I couldn't bear to starve myself any longer. “I decided to have just one last push, so I started lifting weights, and I was astonished at the results that came so quickly. My bum was firmer, arms more defined and my abs were showing. “Now going to the gym is where I have my 'me-time,' which all mums know they need.” 

A photo posted by • A B B Y P E L L • (@superabs) on Dec 22, 2014 at 3:25pm PST

The mum said she was shocked by the backlash and negative attention she got online for the shots, adding that she felt she was promoting a healthier lifestyle: "It's a sorry state of affairs when someone's healthy passion is labelled abusive, whilst obesity, junk food marketing and laziness are all on the rise. You keep going. “Some people want to be able to make excuses and don't like it when an alternative body type is put in their face. Having a child is not a valid reason for being out of shape. Everybody can make excuses. I want to show that this figure is achievable. “It doesn't matter if you're overweight, if you have a busy lifestyle and kids to look after - if you want to do it then there's always a way. Being a mum doesn't mean you have to give up.”