‘I haven’t been this slim since I was 12’: Obese mum drops to a SIZE 4 after seeing a fat photo of herself on Facebook

A MUM-OF-THREE has shrunk to a skinny size FOUR, after being tagged in an embarrassing photo on Facebook.

At her heaviest, Sarah Reynolds weighed more than 16 stone and wore size 18 clothes – after giving birth for the third time.

However it was only when the picture emerged on social media that the 31-year-old was ‘forced to face up to reality’.

Sarah, who is from Ontario in Canada, said: "I was a lot more overweight than I had led myself to believe.

"The picture triggered me into making the decision to change.

"After years of living away from home, I moved back to my hometown and started to feel very self-conscious about running into people.

“I began realising that I was ashamed of how I looked, and that didn't sit well with me.

"We had a pool at the new house, and I didn't want to get in it for fear of being seen in a bathing suit by new neighbours, despite my children's pleas to join in."

Sarah, who works for Concourse Media, said she realised she was becoming ‘disengaged’ from her kids’ lives because of her weight gain.

She began by tracking her food intake and doing cardio five times a week – and lost a massive NINE STONE with the help of online videos.

Sarah added: "Making the switch from double cream and double sugar coffees to almond milk and a single sugar coffees was a slow progression and I did struggle to give up sweets.

"But I recognised my obsession and addiction to foods that were carbs or desserts and began practising saying ‘no’ and exercising more and more self-control, which I found empowering and liberating.

"Before I didn't exercise beyond walks with my kids, which even those were rare and I was overeating without recognising it.

"I feel as though my heart and my soul have remained the same, it's just my lifestyle that's improved.

"I also gained self-confidence to be braver in life, take more chances, and walk with pride instead of shame.

"I've grown to love healthy living and all it brings – the fresh foods, the exercise, the impact on my children who are watching my every move.

"It's the best decision I've ever made in my life, for myself and for them."

Sarah shared her journey with 33,000 Instagram followers, who encouraged and supported her with the challenging change in diet.

She said: "I'm not someone who ever believed I would be thin.

"I wasn't even this small a size when I was 12 years old. However, anyone can make the change.

"I took my life back and I make the decision every day and yes, it's a decision - every single day, to be healthy, to make those choices."

To follow Sarah's weight loss story go to Instagram @thebirdspapaya.