A mum-of-three has managed to shed over 100lbs (8 stone) of baby weight by juggling childcare with daily workouts and overhauling her diet.
Sarah Reynolds, 31, from Guelph, Ontario, Canada, rose to 225lbs (16 stone) after the birth of her third child in 2001.
Resigned to the extra weight, the self-confessed food junkie took little pride in her appearance and continued to munch on carbs and sugary snacks.
It wasn't until she returned to her home town after living away that she suddenly felt conscious of her weight gain.
She was tagged in an unflattering Facebook photo, which she found embarrassing, and decided she'd had enough.
The offending photo showed the young mum sat in a blue dress at a party and although taken at a unflattering angle, she says it was the wake-up call she needed.
Determine to get fit, Reynolds upped her fitness with daily workouts and dropped to a size 4 (UK 6).
A decade after her first child she says she has never looked better - she even claims she's a better mum as she has more energy.
She said: "When I saw the Facebook photo I was embarrassed.
"I was also shocked because it didn't seem to me to be the image I thought I was in my head. It was worse than I had allowed myself to believe.
"I'm a self-diagnosed food addict - it's an overwhelming need or desire to eat.
"One that can consume my thoughts at times, and create cravings I almost felt I couldn't deny.
"Triggers would often be special occasions or the feeling that it was my only chance to have something before it was gone."
Determined to get fit and healthy, Reynolds began to work out daily for 30 minutes and traded in carbs for fruit and veg.
Story continues below slideshow:
Following the initial weight loss over three years, Reynolds increased her weight training to help tone up.
She added: "The first steps were just making that commitment to do something.
"To exercise, even if I didn't know how. To track my intake and be accountable.
"Accountability is everything. We have to be accountable to ourselves. There's no one else to answer to when it comes to our bodies.
"I have a job as a server some evenings, and the cardio from that is more than enough for those days.
"On the off days from working I spend about 30 mins at home working out.
"I love fruits and veggies and just have found ways to make them amazing.
"Frozen berries microwaved with a sprinkle of granola or chia seeds tastes instantly like pie to me.
"Roasted vegetables are way more desirable than potatoes now too.
"My tastes have evolved with healthy eating. I genuinely love the food I'm eating. I don't feel deprived."
Reynolds, who has a 10-year-old, an eight-year-old and a six-year-old, admitted it's tough work keeping healthy with young children around.
She said: "Since I started on diet and fitness after kids, I had no choice but to make them part of the journey.
"They watched me learn how to work out, and finding the information in nutritional labels that I needed.
"They heard me say words like "getting healthy", "good for my body", "strong" and don't ever hear words like "weight loss" "fat" or "diet."
"But it's hard. There's no such thing as spare time with kids in your life.
"You have to decide that it's a priority. The unpredictable will happen, you'll be exhausted, you'll be interrupted, but it doesn't need to stop you.
"I've worked through the problem with much success and my kids love being a part of it now - some days it's easier to have kids.
"Going on long hikes doubles as a workout while entertaining them and spending time together.
"What I want to say to mum's trying to get healthy is that they deserve it - they will quite possibly be an even better parent for it.
"I have more energy than I've ever had. I'm so proud to be their mother, and they as children are little sponges.
"Everything I do for myself, is in turn being done for them. They're watching and they're learning.
"Overall, I have the best tribe of people around me and they've been nothing but amazing and my best cheer squad."
