Since its inception in 2009 the Get Healthy program has helped more than 30,000 people through a six-month coaching service, which includes 10 phoned sessions for support, motivation and information.
The average results are four kilograms of weight lost and five centimetres trimmed off the waist.
Chris Rissel, a director in the NSW Office of Preventative Health, said the government-funded service was created as a lifestyle intervention tool to address obesity and risk factors for chronic disease.
"More than half of the population is overweight and there wasn't enough available to help those people," he said.
"The results are clinically significant improvements to the participants' health."
While the program targets people from low socio-economic backgrounds and those at risk of diabetes and chronic disease (includes other priority target groups), it is available for those older than 16.
"We have university qualified health coaches providing individually tailored coaching advice based on behaviour-change principles to help participants achieve lifestyle changes," Mr Rissel said.
"They set goals related to healthy eating, physical activity, or achieving or maintaining a healthy weight, and their own personal health coach will support them to achieve these goals.
"For people who want to make the change this is a very effective way to get help," he said.
The Get Healthy program website has tools to measure "your ideal figure", a body mass index (BMI) calculator and a guide to healthy eating habits.
Click here for details or call 1300 806 258.
