There are so many fad diets out there. There are promises of losing inches, losing pounds and feeling great. But, do any of those diets and programs actually keep their promises? It depends on you.

Losing weight is a difficult task. With Americans becoming more and more sedentary and less active these days, exercise is hard to come by. Unfortunately, that also means fast food and poor habits are even easier to come by.

Here are some tips and ways to help you get back in shape for 2015.

Find a workout buddy- It has been proven that working out with a friend or even a stranger you met at the gym is far more effective than trying to do it yourself. Post a Facebook message to your friends saying something like this, "Trying to shed some weight this season. Who wants to be my workout buddy and do this together?"

Join a gym. If you do not already have a gym membership, get one. Gym prices at places like Anytime Fitness, Planet Fitness and Gold's Gym are affordable and often offer free classes included in your membership. If you have trouble finding an affordable gym, ask your friends and co-workers where they go.

Try a class. Classes like Zumba and boot camp classes offered at gym are fun and challenging. Zumba is fun way to workout and gets you dancing. You are still burning calories, but it does not feel like work because you are dancing.

Walk more. Take periodic breaks at work to stand up and stretch and walk around. This is something you should always be doing. Every movement you make causes your body to work. If you are just sitting around at your desk all day, you could develop muscle aches, and you will not burn any calories.

Walk around your block instead of driving. Take the mile walk to the grocery store instead of taking a bus or driving. It feels great and it will help you burn calories.

Log your eating. It might sound silly, but if you write down what you eat, you will start changing your habits. There are apps that you can download, like MyFitnessPal, that will keep track of what you eat and how many calories you have consumed. It's a free app and it has tons of food stats (calories, carbs, protein) already loaded into it.

For more tips on losing weight, WebMD has a great article on losing weight safely.