Maryland Mom Breaks World Record for Heaviest Raw Deadlift; Lost 140-Lbs Through Powerlifting

A mother of two is now labeled as one of the strongest women in the world when she broke the world record for heaviest raw deadlift by a woman last September 2021 at 636 pounds and then broke her own record at 639 pounds this year.

Tamara Walcott was in an "unsatisfying marriage " and would find solace in eating alone at night while everyone was already asleep. She gained so much weight and became "morbidly obese."

The property manager from Laurel, Maryland, recalled how, one day, she stepped on the scale and found that she was already at 415 pounds. She shared how she stopped looking in the mirror for a very long time as she no longer recognized who she was seeing.

Aside from the complications in marriage, she realized that one of the reasons that led her to be overweight was not making self-care a priority. She had a nine-to-five job from Mondays to Fridays, and the weekends were about spending time with the kids. She could not figure out a healthy balance.

Enough is enough

The now 39-year-old decided "enough is enough" in 2017 and began her weight training journey with dumbbells.

Four years later, she became one of the strongest women in the world as she bagged the world record for the heaviest raw deadlift by a woman, People reported.

It started with falling in love with heavy weights and doing deadlifts in a new gym she went to. She then got a coach and decided that those were the things she wanted to do. She trained three to four days a week during preparation season and did a lighter workout schedule in the off-season.

More than the record-breaking win, another reward she got was losing more than 140 pounds along the way, though she shared she was not really focused on the weight loss.

"Even from the beginning, when I started my journey, I never called it weight loss - I call it fat loss. I have pictures of me at 275 from two years ago that look nothing like what I look at 275 now. My body composition because of the muscle that I've put on looks so different," she declared.

The country has gone backward

As she reflects on her obesity and everything that happened during that season in her life, she shared with Good Morning America that what pushed her to change her life and decide to pursue what she wanted to do was her firm desire to take control of her life. She also ended up "controlling the weight" in her hands.

She has upcoming competitions this spring and continues to train for them. However, she makes sure that as she finally gets to do what she wants, she continues to be a mother and a role model to her kids - Masjahlee, 16, and Bryce, who is ten years old.

She shared that she lives fearlessly now, the way she wants her kids to live as well. She tells them it is okay to make mistakes and not know the right way to do something and emphasizes that those are the exact ways to learn and grow.

Right now, she is not only one of the strongest women in the world but has also become an inspiration to women as she shares her story with them.

As a motivational speaker, she expressed that more than lifting heaving weights, she is also "lifting spirits."