I made a short video while I was in Paris briefly explaining how I lost over 40 pounds within six months without diet pills, crash diets, or massive workouts.

In that video, I explain that the first thing you have to do is leave any person or situation that is making you unhappy.

Sometimes we become so accustomed to certain dynamics that we don’t realize how harmful they actually are. Unhealthy dynamics affect us at a very deep level. They affect our spirit, our soul, our essence. They affect our aura—the energetic field that surrounds us.

What’s happening is that our energy is being misdirected. The energy we need to care for ourselves and the people we love is instead being poured into that person or situation.

Rather than using our energy—our life force—to gain momentum in our own lives, we’re using it to survive and manage an unhealthy situation. We’re stuck in survival mode. When you’re in that mode, creativity is blocked, your glow begins to fade, and your appearance starts to change. Go back and look at photos of yourself. Chances are, you’ll see the difference.

This is where the transformation begins. Before you focus on losing weight, focus on trimming the fat from your life. Detach from unhealthy situations, unhealthy people, unhealthy habits, and anything else that stands in the way of your happiness.

If it isn’t making you sexier, richer, or smarter, cut it.