Inspirational or Insulting? Three Words Go Viral and You Decide! (PHOTOS)

So a lady by the name of Maria Kang has caused a stir with other new moms or moms in general. Good and bad. Some have taken offense to her 'message,' others are inspired and supportive. As the mother of a 3 month old myself, I see both sides.

I have friends and family who have bounced back like nothing after baby and quite honestly didn't even exercise. Then there are people like me who as my bestie would put it, 'stay gorditas.' (yes she said it, but only SHE can get away with it) lol  The only way that I disagree with what this Maria lady did is that I think in most cases it's genetic. That's why you sometimes hear women say, 'I was blessed with good genes.' In most cases it's true. It's just a matter of a few or even a single word that can make it go from encouraging to discouraging. The latest case is of a 32-year-old former beauty queen and a Facebook post.

Maria, who is a fitness enthusiast and sells books on the subject, posted the picture you see above of her in a sports outfit next to her three young sons. Obviously, she is in great shape and above her head is the question "What's your excuse?"

These three words have gone viral and has some people rallying to support her while others are saying she's fat-shaming women. So what is Maria saying about people who say she's making other women feel bad about themselves? She gave an interview to Yahoo Shine to explain more of what she was really going for.

Yahoo Shine

Maria has since posted an apology with the photo saying:

I've been getting an influx of new followers, emails and comments (on my profile pic) recently. Some saying I'm a bully, I'm fat-shaming and I need to apologize for the hurt I've caused women. I get it. SO here's my First and Final Apology:

I'm sorry you took an image and resonated with it in such a negative way. I won't go into details that I struggled with my genetics, had an eating disorder, work full time owning two business', have no nanny, am not naturally skinny and do not work as a personal trainer. I won't even mention how I didn't give into cravings for ice cream, french fries or chocolate while pregnant or use my growing belly as an excuse to be inactive.

What I WILL say is this. What you interpret is not MY fault. It's Yours. The first step in owning your life, your body and your destiny is to OWN the thoughts that come out of your own head. I didn't create them. You created them. So if you want to continue 'hating' this image, get used to hating many other things for the rest of your life. You can either blame, complain or obtain a new level of thought by challenging the negative words that come out of your own brain.

With that said, obesity and those who struggle with health-related diseases is literally a 'bigger' issue than this photo. Maybe it's time we stop tip-toeing around people's feelings and get to the point. So What's Your Excuse? - Maria Kang

She also posted a Frequently Asked Questions section to her website to discuss the eating disorder she's battled, the two businesses she runs and her personal life.

What motivates one person to do great things may be completely wrong for someone else. Some people called Kate Middleton walking out of the hospital with her post-pregnancy belly inspiring while others called it appalling. It's really up to you to decide? Are you offended by her picture and the words that go with it, or is she right?