Obese 26st gaming addict slimmed after getting wedged in a water slide for THREE HOURS… and she’s lost 11st by poledancing
Christian Hill, 34, from Orlando, Florida, has swapped 24-hour video game marathons for raunchy routines
A WOMAN has lost 12 stone after swapping junk food-fuelled video game marathons for pole dancing.
Christian ‘Cece’ Hill, 34, from Orlando, Florida, decided to kick her unhealthy habits once and for all after her 26st 8lbs frame got wedged in a tubed water slide for three hours.
“Five lifeguards had to come help me out,” she said. "It took several hours and was so humiliating."
She had gastric sleeve surgery to fight the flab and then turned to raunchy routines in a bid to banish her weight demons.
"I've always loved dancing, but my fat hung down and made everything uncomfortable. As a result, I often hid inside playing video games,” she said.
"Now I'm a pole addict and I train for at least two hours a day. I think nothing of standing in front of a mirror for hours in my undies to perfect the latest trick."
Cece has battled with her weight for years.
At school she would hide in the locker room eating Cheetos to escape the bullies and by her early 20s her confidence had hit an all-time low.
She said: "Depressed and alone, I turned to the video game World of Warcraft.
"All I did was eat, drink sodas and play. End of. There was nothing else in my life and because of that I over indulged.”
Cece ballooned to 26st 8lbs in just two years after tucking into “at least 12 cans of coke a day”, pizzas, chicken wings, cake and breadsticks.
She was “shocked” by her large physique and was forced to wear size 5XL tops.
"I was training to be a nurse and couldn't fit in my scrubs anymore. I'd have to order plus-size versions online. It was mortifying,” she said.
"My fat made me sweat and wheeze and I couldn't bend over.
"I had such a hard time moving patients because of the massive belt of flab that hung half-way down my thighs. I was miserable."
The only things in Cece's life that helped ease her depression were food, computer games and her love of theme parks.
"I bought a season pass to Universal Studios so I could walk every day and get good exercise,” she said.
"I was too big for most of the rides, even the bigger seats designed for larger people, which destroyed me.
"But one day I got on Forbidden Journey, the ride inside Hogwarts Castle. I couldn't believe it and was ecstatic.
"But as soon as the ride started it suddenly stopped. They came and asked me to get off because I was too big."
After the humiliating experience Cece booked in for vertical sleeve gastrectomy at Mexico’s Bariatric Center.
"They removed about 80% of my stomach and I swapped junk food for healthy smoothies,” she said.
"Soon I was losing weight – fast!"
In just nine months she shed 15st – but she still wasn’t happy.
"I was left with large amounts of hanging skin all over, which was particularly bad around my tummy,” she said.
"Despite having nearly 12lbs of skin removed from my stomach, my stomach muscle walls were still really weak and I wasn't happy with the way I looked.
"I'd put so much effort into losing weight, yet I still looked bad. It was devastating and really got me down."
With her confidence sinking, Cece turned to a familiar source of comfort – food – and put on nearly 4st again.
She said: "I realised my depression was taking hold again and if I didn't do something, I'd quickly end up back where I'd started.
"I'd always love dancing and started looking into dance classes and stumbled across pole.”
After seeing a plus-sized pole dancer on YouTube, Cece bought a Groupon voucher for 20 classes and started lessons two days later.
"On my first day I felt really self-conscious in my size 20 shorts and a gym top because I was the biggest girl in the room,” she said.
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"But everyone was so welcoming, it was lovely. I had never been so accepted anywhere before."
Despite not even being able to hold onto the pole, Cece was determined to get better and spent hours perfecting the spins and splits.
After committing herself to lessons every day, she started nailing various tricks and reassessed her diet to make sure she was eating the best foods to fuel her body.
She said: "Now I watch my diet very closely. I mainly focus on getting enough protein each day and eating frequently to keep my body fueled for pole.
"I pole around two hours a day, burning an average of 850 calories a session.
"Since starting pole my body has changed and I've now lost over 11st in total. But this time, I'm keeping it off.”
Cece, who now wears a size 16 and weighs 15st 5lbs, has completed her transformation with a tummy tuck and a Brazilian butt lift.
"I no longer feel like my life is over. I feel empowered. I want other women to know that they too can do this amazing sport,” she said.
