Congratulations to Hoover Gibson on winning the 2015 Paleo Challenge and Athlete of the Month!

Before Hoover realizes the celebrity status he has earned, we slowed him down for a few minutes and made him share his story. Here’s what he told us –

What motivated you to decide to participate in our 6-week Paleo Challenge?

The need to clear my body of all the holiday foods I devoured. I ate paleo for Emma’s school project towards the end of 2013 and missed a lot of my holiday favorites. I made a mental note that I wouldn’t do that again in 2014. Well, lets just say I ended up over doing it. Ha ha! So this year’s challenge was the perfect time to tune my body back to eating healthy foods.

What was the hardest part of staying consistent on the challenge?

The hardest part by far is my work schedule. With paleo you must prep foods. When you don’t, it’s too easy to fall behind. That makes it easy to fall into a cheat meal. Not the end of the world, but once my body adjusts to paleo the cheat meals tend to induce headaches. Sacrificing Sundays is also a challenge – that’s what I consider my prep day.

Tell us about the changes you have noticed since switching to a paleo lifestyle?

Aside from weight loss. The cleaner I eat the lower the chances are that I get migraines. For me that’s huge. I also eat A LOT! I’m eating 6-7 times a day. My co-workers laugh at the size of my cooler I pack every day. But my body lets me know when I’m hungry. Which is almost always. So I eat & lose. lol.

What advice would you give to people who are thinking about giving paleo a try?

This isn’t some fly by night, infomercial diet. This is a holistic approach to a better you. You must go at your own pace. Don’t judge yourself by others progress. It doesn’t work in any other aspect of life and the rules don’t bend here. Everybody is different. Just stick to it. Let the results speak. And don’t put too much emphasis on weight. Like Amy has told us before. There are more variables than just weight alone that pertain to your progress.

(Now that’s some solid advice right there!)

Now that the challenge is over how will you continue to incorporate what you have learned and gained into your daily routine?

I’ll stick to clean eating during the work week. On the weekends I’ll indulge in a little cheat meal. Nothing too bad. But I do plan to incorporate oatmeal, rice & sweet potatoes, which I love! I work hard and long hours on the job. Sometimes I need those foods to give me that extra push.

How are you planning to spend your cash prize?

Bahahahahaaaaa. The Money… Savings account. I didn’t expect to win. So I’ll put it in the rainy day fund. I am married with children. So technically – it’s their money. They’ll need something here or there. Haha. Maybe I’ll put a little towards that basketball hoop we need at CrossFit Northlake. 😉

Congratulations again, Hoover! And thanks for sharing your experience participating in the 2015 Paleo Challenge!

~ Amy