I’m the world’s tallest bodybuilder – why I won’t stick to my strict diet over the Christmas holidays

THE world’s biggest bodybuilder has announced she won’t be on a strict diet this Christmas – and will be enjoying the holiday season to the fullest.

Maria Wattel, 42, trains three hours a day for competitions and adheres to a rigid diet to reach her goals.

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But there are certain times of the year when the six-foot-tall beauty is dying to relax – and Christmas is one of them.

“For me, December is a whole month of vacation,” Maria told the US Sun.

“It means I celebrate Christmas and I celebrate the days around it.

“If my partner wants to get a hot chocolate with some cookies, I will.”

She added, “I celebrate because I’m on a restricted nutrition program about nine to 10 months out of the year.”

At 5ft 11.92 inches, Maria holds the Guinness World Record for tallest female professional bodybuilder and works hard to maintain her incredible physique.

She also likes to keep “a balance of muscle and femininity” and believes strongly in living life to the fullest.

For Maria, that means making time for loved ones, with the Christmas season being a perfect time to do so.

“There are a lot of bodybuilders who want to kill me for it, but you have to balance your personal life and professional life,” said the IFBB pro.

“Even as a CEO, you can’t devote your entire life to one company because your personal life, your family, everyone will suffer.

“You might end up with money in the bank, but you might be pretty unhappy.

“I love what I do, but I also love the people around me and the understanding they have for me at the time that really matters.”

She added, “If I go to the show, I should show the same respect and understanding for them.”

Maria lives in Athens, Greece and is taller than many of the men in her gym.

She told the US Sun how some men can appear jealous of her body, adding that she was once spat on in the street.

But although the bodybuilder has to warn her friends about the attention her size is drawing in public, she’s confident in her own skin.

“I like being me,” she said.

“I like what I do and that’s part of the package.

“If I had been smaller, no one would have noticed me.”

She added, “It would be really cool if almost every woman on earth tried just one type of bodybuilding program,” she said.

“As a meditation, as blowing off steam and trying to understand yourself.

“I want girls to look up to women and say I want to look like that. It’s really powerful, it’s pure, it’s real.

“You can learn a lot from a bodybuilder.”

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