I'm the world's strongest woman - I lifted 1,620 pounds total in competition but still look swag in

A WEIGHTLIFTING mom of two who set a world record by lifting a total of 1,620.4 pounds across three categories admits she wasn't always so fit.

In fact, Tamara Walcott, 39, suffers from food addiction and gained a lot of weight after having kids — but divorce got her back in the gym, helping her lose over 100 pounds and setting her on her way to dominate at powerlifting competitions.

In fact, she's most recently served for the second year in a row as the head judge for Tone House's Lift Off event — a two-day competition where athletes demonstrate their strength in several categories.

The Lift Off event also gives participants the opportunity to fundraise for Special Olympics New York, for which they raised over $23,000 this year.

A former high school athlete, Walcott's sporty side "went out the window" after she had kids, with unhappiness leading to food addiction and overeating.

But during her divorce, she started going to the gym again — first at seven days a week, then down to a more manageable three days a week.

Weight came off, with Walcott of Laurel, Maryland - about 30 minutes southwest of Baltimore - dropping from 415 pounds to 285 pounds and packing on the muscle.

Eventually, she started competing in weightlifting competitions, including the World Raw Powerlifting Federation American Pro in Manassas, Virginia in 2022.

The event is where Guinness World Records certified that she had deadlifted about 639 pounds, squatted 600 pounds, and bench-pressed 380 pounds for a combined total of 1,620.4 pounds.

That's about how much the London Zoo's heaviest animal, a giraffe named Maggie, weighed at the zoo's 2023 annual weigh-in, according to The New York Times.

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"It just felt really rewarding and it felt really good to do something that I thought that I couldn't," she told The U.S. Sun.

"I saw the vision in my head and I knew that I was doing the things that needed to be done to get there," she said.

"To finally be at the end result and actually doing it, I proved to myself that anything is possible," she added.

And though Walcott says the bench press is her weakest lift at 280 pounds, Guinness reports that is more than any competitor at the WRPF Pro has attempted.

ROAD TO SELF-EMPOWERMENT

"Powerlifting kind of found me," Walcott said.

"In high school, I played sports. I threw shot put, I played basketball, volleyball, all those things," she added.

But as she got older, she faced a struggle with food, causing her to pack on the pounds.

"When I went to college, got pregnant, had my babies, all of that went out the door," she said.

"I ended up being addicted to food during that time, just not being happy, and I was just being a mom and a wife and I wasn't really taking care of myself anymore. I kind of lost myself."

"So in going through a separation and going through a divorce, I found myself in the gym.

"I realized that not only am I mentally strong, I was physically strong as well," she said.

She said her weight didn't stop her from diving head first into fitness to reclaim control over her life.

"So even being as heavy as 415 pounds, when I first went to this workout group, which was just dumbbells and stuff, I was still able to do push-ups," she said.

"Even that heavy, people that were half my weight couldn't even do one, and I was still able to push out five to 10 pushups and do sit-ups and things of that nature.

"So I just fell in love with it because I was naturally strong," she added.

LEARNING THE ROPES

Though she'd discovered her inner Wonder Woman, her regimen wasn't curated overnight, requiring much trial and error.

"When I first started, I would work out seven days a week, I kid you not, but the reason I did that is because I needed to make it a habit. I needed to make it important for me," she said.

"Then I realized I was getting burned out like seven days a week for the kind of training that I do. When it comes to lifting weights, it's taxing on the body.

"And then I actually learned that you have to rest and recover in order to build muscle," she added.

The record-breaking powerlifter said that she gave her muscles time to grow by not overexerting herself on a daily basis.

Whereas her counterparts train five days a week, she's on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule.

"If I'm prepping for a competition off-season, it's more volume, so it feels like cardio.

"I do a lot of sets, a lot of reps with like more weights, but when I am when I'm actually in prep for training, like for a competition, it's more of a bell curve," she added.

WEIGHT WIN

Walcott's decision to get into weightlifting led to a 130-pound weight loss and counting.

She said she likes to post a lot of side-by-side comparisons to show how far she's come "on the outside" going from 415 pounds to 285 pounds.

"People are still like, 'You don't look like 285 pounds,' but muscle weighs more and muscle sits on your body differently," she added.

Walcott also revealed that the regimen she developed from going to the gym on a regular basis gave her the mental strength to tackle her food addiction.

I decided that I'm never going to be on a diet because I already have a negative connotation when it comes to food

Tamara Walcott

"It gave me structure and it was the one thing that I can do every single day for myself intentionally to be better, be healthier," she said.

"The change started from the inside, not the outside. So people see the changes on the outside and they're like, 'Oh my goodness, you're doing such an awesome job,'" she said.

She added that people so often overlook the inner work that comes with having visible results.

"How you treat your body is how it's going to treat you. My skin started to better because I drank more water," she said.

"I started to feel like I have more energy because I eat a salad versus like a greasy burger from Five Guys.

"I really have to tap into those things. Like eating this banana. How did that make me feel? Versus eating the ice cream, how did that make me feel?

"So it was a mental shift for me. Everything started from the inside out," she added.

FOOD FOR FUEL

When it comes to strict diets, Walcott said that's off the plate for her.

"I decided that I'm never going to be on a diet because I already have a negative connotation when it comes to food, being a food addict," she said.

"But what I'm going to do is not say, 'You can't have pizza' or 'You can't have chips' or 'You can't have soda.' I did those things, but in moderation."

Women are so mentally strong, but I'm going to show that I can be physically strong as well and still do it and like look swag

Tamara Walcott

"So the new Tamara was like, 'All right, you ate pizza last month on the third. So next month on the third, you can have another slice of pizza,'" she said.

Walcott warned of an issue that is common in the fitness community, a wraith-like phenomenon: body dysmorphia.

"Body dysmorphia is a scary thing, you look in the mirror some days and everyone is like, 'Girl you look good today' and you look in the mirror and you're like, 'I don't feel that great,'" she said.

She shared her remedy for dealing with body dysmorphia: diligently keeping progress photos for comparison.

"Side by side, you're like, 'Yes, I actually do look good,'" she said.

NO TIME FOR HATERS

Walcott revealed that some men are intimidated by her strength, but she delivers the perfect comeback every time.

"I see people say, 'Oh my God, her kids must keep their rooms clean. Oh, my goodness she must toss her boyfriend around.' All these things that I see online.

"But we are women and we can be strong. We are strong mentally. We give birth, life. So to those men, I say, that's your own insecurity.

"That's their insecurity, and that's something that you're going to have to deal with. But we are here in strength sports and we are here in strength sports to stay," she added.

STATEMENT PIECE

Walcott is also sure to lift in style, known for looking glamorous while lifting the weight of several men.

"One of the things that inspired the hoops and the nails it's just that we're women and we're beautiful," she said.

"Yes, I'm moving all this weight. Yes, I'm in a sport that's predominantly men, but I'm going to show up.

"Women are so mentally strong, but I'm going to show that I can be physically strong as well and still do it and like look swag. You know what I mean?

"This island girl that I am, the social butterfly that I am, I'm just reminding people, like when you're doing something and you love it you're going to bring your true, authentic self," she added.

The self-love doesn't stop at the dedicated routine and glitz and glam — Walcott revealed her favorite part of her own body.

"Just that upper body area by my neck on the traps. I absolutely love that. I'm so proud of my traps," she said.

In addition to her trapezius muscle, she also praised a work-in-progress: her back muscles.

"When I gain weight, I gain weight in my upper back. Like in the back area.

"I have 12 rolls in this picture, so now down to like just two rolls in my back.

"And I'm like, when people see this back transformation, when I finally share it with the world one day they're going to be like, 'Holy crap, like different person,'" she added.

THAT'S NOT ALL, FOLKS

Walcott revealed that although she overcame a remarkable feat, the world has not seen the last of her.

She's currently recovering from pectoral surgery after an injury, and since she can't train the way she'd like to, she's working on a children's book.

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