I wish I could say that the headline on this page applied to me, although reading about the Times Health Club members of the month always cheers me up. For June it's the turn of the strong silent types who never post in the forums but keep themselves to themselves, using the club's tracking tools to stay motivated. I hope they enjoy their prizes as much as we enjoy dishing them out.

For the Edinburgh MoonWalkers, raising more than £3,000 for breast cancer charity Walk the Walk was its own reward, as Simon Draine recounts (see below right). It's not too late to contribute at www.justgiving.com/simondraine.

Hilly Janes

I look different, I act differently and I'm so much happier'

MEMBER Carol Bianca

PRIZE Sweaty Betty vouchers worth £100 (www.sweatybetty.com )

Carol, 52, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, works for a charity called Calibre UK, providing books for the visually impaired and dyslexic. A keen runner, she uses the Health Club to track her diet, exercise, sleep and happiness.

“I was very sporty when I was younger, but when I was 27 I had one of my ovaries removed, and they tell you not to do anything for six months, and slowly I put on weight. Then when I was 35 I married into an Italian family and started eating a lot of pasta, which also didn't help. I have one stepson, who's 30, but I'm unable to have children of my own.

“My inspiration for starting to exercise was Rocco Forte, who owns the Forte hotels. I read in a magazine that even though he's in his sixties, he regularly does triathlons. And I thought if he can do it, I can! I started power walking when I joined the Health Club in January, and when the walking was no longer challenging I took up running. After only two minutes I used to think that I was going to die; now I can't believe how far I can run. In fact, tomorrow I'm taking part in a 10km (6.4miles) run in London to raise money for Calibre UK.

“I use the tracking tools on the Health Club every day for exercise, calories, sleep and all sorts. I still drink a couple of glasses of wine every night, but I no longer eat any biscuits, cakes and sweets.

“Although I have lost 3st over four years, I am stuck at 10st 10lb (68kg) but would like to lose those last 10lb. However, everyone tells me how much I have changed. I look different, I act differently, and I'm just so much happier.”

A great way to record weight and training'

MEMBER Jeff Dunn

PRIZE Snow & Rock vouchers worth £100

Jeff Dunn, 61, a former headmaster from Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, is married with three children, Gemma, 27, Neil, 23 and Matthew, 14. Jeff is one of the top 25 of regular users of the Health Club and is a big fan of the club's tracking tools.

“Three years ago when I was a headmaster I'd be out and about running around with the children, but since becoming part-time, I spend my time driving from school to school, acting as an external adviser, and the weight has piled on.

“I thought that walking to the paper shop and going to the allotment would keep me fit, but it hasn't. Then last November I bought some scales, and...ouch. I also started getting pains in my knees and my GP suggested that if I took up exercise and lost weight it might help. So in November I started working out and then joined the Health Club when it was launched in January.

“It's a great way to be able to record your weight and training, especially for someone like me who is data-driven. I also enjoy reading about people's achievements in the forums; seeing the positive outcomes really spurs me on.

“Before I joined I weighed 17st 5lb (91kg) and today I'm 14st 5lb. However I want to be under 14st by August as I am going walking in the mountains in Austria with my wife. I have cut out all the cakes, biscuits, chips, roast potatoes which seem to accompany every school meal, and now always go for the green bits instead.

“These days I go to the gym five or six days a week and I try to synchronise my workout so that I can exercise while rugby matches are being shown on the television. During the summer, I might shift over to two or three sessions in the gym and supplement it with a couple of bike rides.

“And as I am trying to get fit for when I go to Austria, I'm doing a lot of uphill walking on the treadmill, and squats to build up my strength for the mountain walking. It's not going up the hills that is a problem, it's the coming down - that's what really gets your thighs and legs.

“The doctor was absolutely right about my knees; I get only the occasional twinge now.”

Structured, sensible - the perfect mechanism'

MEMBER Jeremy Wright

PRIZE Midweek break for two at Champneys (www.champneys.com )

Jeremy Wright, 58, lives in Swansea, South Wales, with his wife, and took early retirement from a job in local government 18 months ago. He is one of our most regular users on the Health Club, and has lost 2st (12.7kg).

“My retirement was a bit of a surprise, and had a positive and a negative impact. I started reflecting on the fact that I had become the fattest man in the world because I had spent my life sitting at a desk. When the Times Health Club appeared, it was structured, sensible, and the perfect mechanism to get control back again.

“I've always complained about being fat, but complaining doesn't do anything about it. I used to run a lot, but work, life and family got in the way. After a tricky divorce in my thirties, sitting in bars and moping about my loss was a much better prospect than running.

“I wanted to get straight back into running, but I thought that being 3½ stone overweight would do in my knees. Swimming and cycling don't put pressure your joints, so I began with that. I exercise six days a week for about an hour and a half. I use an estuary cycle path. It's perfect; about 12 miles of traffic-free cycling.

“I've been at it since January and have lost 2st. The whole process for me is re-learning my eating habits and increasing my exercise. I was fat because I ate too much. When I retired, alcohol became less critical because I don't get home at the end of the day craving that glass of wine and scouring the kitchen for anything I could nibble.

“My goal weight is 12½st and I want to be able to run the length of the Malvern Hills, where I lived as a boy.

“Keeping track of my progress on the Health Club is very important. I've been in local government all my life and keeping records is what I do; it's how I work. It helps you to build up a picture, which is very helpful. It's also interesting to see what everyone else is doing.

“I'm disciplined enough to use it to keep track of things, and use it every day. If it hasn't gone right, it reminds you to try harder in the future. It works, and I'm very grateful to the Health Club.”

INTERVIEWS: HARRIET ADDISON

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