151 when abby pell posted a photo on instagram showing her slim belly and toned defined abs she never expected the uproar that would erupt in the photo pell 33 a nutritionist and fitness competitor posed next to her 6yearold daughter who pointed to her mothers bared abs with a shocked look on her face the photos caption read i have a kid a six pack and no excuse i just thought it would be funny the british woman said not everyone laughed in fact many people accused her of fat shaming other mothers and setting a bad example for her daughter bella one commenter wrote shes teaching her kid that anyone who doesnt conform has no excuse theyre just lazy buff mom says her whats your excuse post sparked fit shaming fit mom defends controversial photo i never called you fat but many others have defended pell including one who wrote u have inspired me to work harder at the gym now pell of west sussex england is explaining herself she said she simply wanted to motivate other mothers my message was about having a choice and showing people that it can be achieved if you want to achieve it and just by leading by example she told abc news the reaction to pells photo was similar to the backlash against maria kang in 2013 when she posted a photo of her slim and toned figure with her three young sons her photo caption was whats your excuse kang too said she wanted to encourage other women she said she was an example of a mother who was healthy and could be a positive role model to other mothers still some say photos like the ones pell and kang posted can send a far different message lets give props to this person who obviously is in great shape said abc news dr jennifer ashton but lets also recognize that shaming people is usually not a powerful motivational tool and i think that certainly when youre talking about moms bouncing back from pregnancy we have enough pressure on us as mothers