A GROUP of Gilgandra locals seeking to get a better grasp on their health is set to watch the kilos pour off as the local Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) gets prepared to launch a popular weight loss program in the coming weeks.

The 'Too Deadly For Diabetes' program has already taken parts of the Western Plains by storm, finding success in communities such as Walgett, Bourke and Brewarrina.

One of the most recent locations where the program has been rolled out is the Coonamble community, which has seen participants lose a massive combined total of almost 2 tonnes since beginning in 2020.

The lifestyle program, which was set up to reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Aboriginal communities, is made up of 10 weeks and run out of local Aboriginal medical clinics which help coach participants through a specially designed nutrition and fitness program.

Too Deadly For Diabetes is the brain child of renowned fitness trainer, accredited exercise physiologist and proud Kamilaroi man Ray Kelly.

The program has come a long way since it was launched and is now spreading further than ever before, with new programs launching in communities like the Central Coast and Forster earlier this year, soon to be joined by Gilgandra.

Mr Kelly said he was incredibly proud to see the program have such a huge impact on so many communities and when he heard about the establishment of the Gilgandra AMS in late 2021, it made perfect sense to bring it there.

"We were in discussions as soon as it was announced the AMS would be going in due to the success of the program in Coonamble and Dubbo," Mr Kelly said.

"It's right in the middle, so it's worked out really well. So once they opened, it was just a matter of getting staff on board and then we're ready to go."

Since coming on board, the Gilgandra AMS staff have been hard at work spreading the word about the program and finding interested participants.

According to Mr Kelly, most towns premiering Too Deadly For Diabetes typically start with a group of 15-20 people so the local teams can manage them efficiently.

Mr Kelly recently paid a visit to the centre on Thursday 28 July for a couple of hours of training so they know how to run the program week-to-week.

From there, he said the rest of the training happened on the job, with occasional support from him and surrounding communities who already run the program successfully, however the Gilgandra team seemed really keen to adapt the program for their community.

"The staff are very excited about the potential in town. They've heard of the results in town and they've seen it with other people they know," he said.

"It's not a turnkey solution, we don't just turn up and say 'you've got to run it like this'. We work together to design it with the local staff who know their local community for that local community.

"Every community has a problem with (Type 2 diabetes) so every community that gets on board is a win for that local community. I'm just happy to be there to guide their health professionals through, help them get the job done and change lives."

The program has a proven success rate of results, with participants often losing up to five kilos in the first week on average, followed by an additional one to two kilos in subsequent weeks.

Over the next few weeks, the Gilgandra AMS staff will continue planning the rollout of the program. Mr Kelly will then return to the community to meet the participants, talk them through how it will work and officially launch it with the AMS.

Mr Kelly said the launch date was still yet to be determined, however he anticipated it would happen in the next few weeks.

"They're so keen to get going. The energy there seems really good, it's great to see not only the community is keen but the health workers are also keen to make an impact," he said.