This book gives a great understanding of how your thoughts and habits can sabotage healthy eating and how to turn this around.

Failed to get into this one, which sounded more like a self-aggrandizing autobiography/memoir from the author throughout. The many 'I did this' & "I did that' rang with the sense of, 'You're an utter s**t if you don't do it like I did'. This 'my way or the highway' approach was very off-putting and not at all the empathetic voice of a coach rooting you on while imparting sensible knowledge. Even that aspect was few and far between, lost in the 'I did it my way and I did great!' boasting throughout. Unfortunately, a hard pill to swallow

Fill your Mind before you fill your plate is a guide to sustaining a healthy lifestyle. Faisal Alshawa completed his own personal transformation using the Five Pillars for a Healthier Lifestyle documented in this book. He encourages the reader to establish SMART goals for behavior change in order to achieve the goals that you've set forth. He clearly explains each of the Five Pillars throughout the book and provides vignettes from his own life/journey to a healthy lifestyle. This book was easy to understand and easy to follow. He presented some important points throughout the book such as, we need to think of being in a relationship with food in order to change how we consider it. We must engage in mindful eating- and use physical cues to drive hunger instead of emotional cues. We must break our habits or they will break our willpower. Overall, this book was a great read with a lot of useful information. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to change their lifestyle and eating habits. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the opportunity to review this title.

This book is an easy and relatively quick read, and advocates getting your mindset right before trying to get fit and lose weight. Why? Because if you approach weight loss from the wrong angle, if you expect too much too soon, then you often fail, and the more you fail, the more your mind sets you up to fail again ("you tried this last time and it didn't work, remember?"). The voice inside your head will encourage you to fail because you failed before. It doesn't believe in you - so first you need to ensure that it does, and prime your mind to accept setbacks before you experience them.
It's the author's personal story, with lots of good tips and ideas to try.

If you're trying to lose weight and struggling, and think that maybe it's your frame of mind that is causing the issue, then give this book a read.

I really like the tome of this little book. It is practical and helpful without being judgemental or patronising. Helpful hints and a useful guide to mindfulness and a healthier way of looking at food.

Marvelous read. This book delivers a holistic approach to nutrition and is a great guide for a healthy lifestyle. Job well done.

Very helpful small information but mighty in the way it has helped me with management of things not only on my plate but my mind also

This book was well presented and interesting, but unfortunately for me I don’t feel it held that much that isn’t already known or in the media frequently, it wasn’t really what I was hoping for

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book was wonderfully written and the author is relatable to I’m sure many others who are going through the same journey or who have just begun. It was very informative the way the author provided his findings.

I have been on a health journey so when I saw the book i was encouraged. However I felt that this book is geared to a different demographic and to me, that should have been mentioned before you request it. And maybe they can make a change. I did get some things I could pick out but all in all, not for me.

I was taken in by the title of this book and wondered just how the author came to advocate for filling the mind before filling the plate. So, as I started reading, I immediately connected with the author's journey of fitness, healthy eating, living and more so how he constantly challenged himself to be better.
The tone is friendly.
The insights are drawn from life experiences and other experts as well, so if you've read a couple of self help books then you'd definitely come across some insights here as well.
What's unique is his journey and what he learned in the process and that in itself makes this an interesting read because we all have different journeys and challenges.
Is it practical? Yes. Is it challenging? Not all of it. Is it something that would compel you to think differently about your relationship with food and goal setting? Definitely.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

In FILL YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU FILL YOUR PLATE, Faisal Alshawa shares his story, the journey he took and the discoveries he made in finding a robust life filled with energy, positivity, and joy. His contagious enthusiasm and stalwart encouragement are singular--I imagine he would be an incredible coach for a person to work with in finding their own path to wellness. Unfortunately -- and this is a book killer for me -- the insights and gems are overwhelmed by trite, simplistic, and common knowledge. I caught myself wondering if this might have been better released as an in-depth article from the point of view of a person determined to live his dreams who actually accomplished what he set out to do. I'm not a fitness professional, but have much experience in the field and have read the literature for years -- and this book does not contribute to the wealth of information and motivation that already exists. The motivation, the can-do spirit and the generosity are exceptional -- and I deeply wish that this book reflected his personal journey, with more emphasis on the why and the way he took rather than the findings and conclusions....

This book was amazing, I'm definitely an emotional eater, and an all or nothing person. This book has some great advice and great motivational tips to get healthy and for the right reasons.

I have to start out this review by mentioning that I quickly realized a few pages in that I am NOT the right demographic for this book. This book is geared toward young adults, likely in their 20s. A lot of it simply wasn’t meant for me. Having said that, there’s a lot of useful conversation in this book to guide a young adult on journey toward better wellness. It’s written in an engaging conversational style. There are a lot of reference to celebrity athletes, media personalities, actors, speakers and authors which likely resonate with a younger crowd. The book is upbeat and positive. There are useful bits of information and wisdom peppered throughout. 3.5 stars.