Mother humiliated when hospital bed collapsed under her 17st weight loses 8st Sarah piled on weight during her four pregnancies Was admitted to hospital after giving birth to youngest son Was humiliated when trolley collapsed under her and vowed to lose weight Ditched daily takeaways for clean, fresh homemade food Also began exercising, attending fitness classes such as boxercise Slimmed from 17st 6lb to 9st A mother was prompted to totally transform her lifestyle after an embarrassing incident in hospital. Sarah Bagley, 34, was left humiliated after a hospital bed collapsed under her 17st 6lb weight. The obese mother-of-four decided to change her lifestyle and has since lost and incredible 8st through diet and exercise. Sarah Bagley went from 17st 6lb (left) to 9st (right) after completely changing her diet and exercise regime Mrs Bagley, of Frizington, Cumbria, was in hospital for complications after giving birth when the hospital equipment collapsed under her. She said: 'As doctors prepared to wheel me to a ward in a stretcher bed, the whole thing collapsed under my weight. 'I couldn't believe I was so big that I broke a bed. I felt humiliated and I knew at that moment that I had to change. Mrs Bagley struggled with her weight for years after piling on the pounds during her four pregnancies. By the time she reached size 22, Mrs Bagley, a former kitchen assistant, was too ashamed to take her children swimming. She said: 'I refused to take my kids to the swimming pool, no matter how much they begged. Sarah piled on weight over her four pregnancies, indulging in near daily takeaways (left) but has now adopted a clean-eating lifestyle, avoiding processed foods and eating a diet high in protein (right) I hated it, but I was in denial. I wouldn't even weigh myself because I was too afraid. I could never find clothes that fit, especially from fashionable shops. I stuck to wearing black all the time and hiding away. Being overweight made me feel dreadful. But I told myself it was normal to put on weight when you have children. Mrs Bagley, who is married to postman Gavin Bagley, 36, and is a devoted mother to her four sons Ethan, 11, Hayden, 8, Finley, 6 and Ollie, 4, would feed her children nutritious meals before squashing into the sofa in front of the TV and tucking into a takeaway. Sarah, left before she lost weight, used to eat a chicken and coleslaw baguette with crisps, a chocolate bar and a can of coke just for lunch, snacking continuously on crisps, buttered toast and muffins Sarah, left after giving birth to son Ethan, now 11, was spurred into losing weight by humiliating experience after the birth of her fourth son when a hospital bed collapsed beneath her (right, having lost weight) She said: 'My biggest vice was eating takeaway every night - I had fish and chips, Chinese, Indian, anything going. It must have cost me a fortune. It was a really bad example to set to my kids. They didn't eat what I did, but they noticed what I was doing.' After giving birth to her fourth son Ollie in 2010, Mrs Bagley was rushed to hospital after she developed a condition called pelvic arthropathy, which causes instability in the pelvic joints. It was while being wheeled from her room to the operating theatre that the bed on which she lay collapsed beneath her weigh t. Mrs Bagley said: 'It was horrendous - I was really embarrassed. The doctors were really nice about it and they told me it had happened before, but I knew they were trying to be nice. I was on so many painkillers so it only hurt my pride. Sarah showing off her weight loss in a pair of her old trousers To make matters worse when I was back in my room a nurse chortled as she asked how my skinny husband, Gavin, had ended up with a big girl like me. It should have been one of the happiest days of my life, but all I could think about was my bulging body. Mrs Bagley finally faced the scales and confronted her weight gain. She said: 'I knew I was big but I was blissfully unaware of how much I had let myself go. Doctors had to weigh me to work out my medication. Tears of horror streamed down my face as I stepped on the scales - I weighed 17 stone and six pound. No wonder the hospital bed had collapsed. Mrs Bagley decided to change her life once and for all by swapping takeaways for lean meat and fresh vegetables. She also started taking long walks. After two years Mrs Bagley lost 3st. In an effort to shift the extra pounds the motivated mother then joined a gym and signed up to her local slimming club. Now four years later Mrs Bagley is down to a size eight, weighing in at 9st. She said: 'I can run around or swim with the kids, and wear tight, glamourous outfits - people don't even recognise me.' Before her life-changing weight loss Mrs Bagley ate nothing for breakfast, then gorged on a chicken and coleslaw baguette with crisps, a chocolate bar and a can of coke for lunch, followed by a chinese takeaway with a chocolate bar and a can of cola for dinner. Throughout the day she would snack on crisps, buttered toast and muffins. Now health-conscious Mrs Bagley has wholemeal toast with peanut butter and banana for breakfast, boiled eggs with fruit and a fat-free greek yoghurt for lunch and chicken with sweet potato, spinach and salad for dinner. Throughout the day Mrs Bagley snacks on fresh fruit and enjoys a daily protein shake. As well as changing her diet, Sarah says she has changed her mindset and now sees food as fuel rather than a comfort or a distraction (left, before losing weight, right, pictured now in a pair of her old trousers) Mrs Bagley said: 'I've been clean-eating. I don't eat anything processed and I try and get a lot of protein in. I used to eat so much throughout the day, I ate because it was mindless. Now I eat to fuel my body. 'The kids keep asking me why I don't eat chocolate anymore.' The mother, who stays at home to care for her youngest son who has autism, has started exercising, attending fitness classes such as boxercise and body pump. She said: 'I have a new love of exercise - I used to get out of breath walking around the block and now I run 40 miles a week. For me the weight loss has been a very happy side effect of getting physically fit and healthy. 'I used to get picked last in P.E. and now I'm quite the athlete.' Mrs Bagley plans on becoming a personal trainer to try and encourage others to lose weight. She said: 'I want to help people who are in the situation I was in. No matter how tough your situation, it is not hopeless.