That means they’re built through:
- Repetition
- Emotional association
- Environment
- Habit
If food made you feel:
- Comforted
- Calm
- Rewarded
- Included
- Safe
Your brain logged it as “good”.
Not because of the food itself, but because of how it made you feel.
Why this matters for weight
Your brain doesn’t chase calories.
It chases familiar reward.
So when you say you “like” certain foods, what you often mean is:
- They reliably change how you feel
- They’re predictable
- They require no effort
And when you say you “dislike” others, it’s often because:
- They don’t give an immediate payoff
- They feel unfamiliar
- They’ve been linked to restriction or pressure
That has nothing to do with willpower.
The psychology behind “I don’t like…”
Many dislikes are actually:
- Lack of exposure
- Previous bad experiences
- Forced eating in the past
- Diet culture rules
- Eating foods when stressed or rushed
If you’ve only ever eaten “healthy” foods while dieting, feeling deprived, your brain pairs them with discomfort.
Of course you “don’t like them”.
That’s learning, not taste.
How this keeps weight stuck
If your likes are limited to high-reward, high-effort-free foods, your choices narrow.
You end up:
- Eating the same things on repeat
- Overeating foods you “love”
- Avoiding foods that would support balance
- Feeling bored or restricted
And boredom plus restriction leads straight back to overeating.
Round and round it goes.
The good news: preferences are flexible
Likes and dislikes are not fixed.
They change through experience, not force.
Your brain updates based on:
- Repeated exposure
- Neutral or positive experiences
- Reduced pressure
- Choice rather than rules
That’s why kids often “hate” foods until they don’t.
Adults are no different.
We just tell ourselves better stories about it.
Three ways to shift food preferences without a fight
1. Remove pressure
Stop telling yourself you should like something.
Pressure creates resistance.
Curiosity creates openness.
2. Pair new foods with safety
Eat them when you’re relaxed.
Not starving.
Not stressed.
Not trying to be “good”.
Your brain learns best when it feels safe.
3. Change the story
Instead of:
“I don’t like that”
Try:
“I’m not used to that yet”
One shuts the door.
The other leaves it open.
What this means for weight loss
When your food world expands:
- Choice improves
- Urgency reduces
- Overeating decreases
- Balance becomes natural
You stop relying on a handful of “favourite” foods to meet emotional needs.
And weight shifts as a side effect, not a battle.
One last thing to consider
If your likes and dislikes were truly fixed,
you’d still like everything you liked at five years old.
You don’t.
Which means change is already built in.
The question is whether you let it happen on purpose…
or keep telling yourself it’s “just the way you are”.
Your brain is far more adaptable than you’ve been led to believe.
Wanto to learn how to make the changes, with support? Join us at Mind Your Weight 🧡