Episode 1 Family Life Swap

Meet the Whewells. They're an average Welsh family,

with two average Welsh teenagers,

both with a growing Welsh problem - they're not too keen on exercise...

I don't do anything sporty.

..but they do like their food.

I eat different kinds of junk food -

kebabs, burgers, chocolate.

In fact, like many of us, they're a bit too fond of their food...

We eat way too much and I've done up from a size eight to ten, to 14.

..which makes their story our story.

Because Welsh youth is wrestling with a hefty problem.

Wales has the largest number of overweight

under-18s in Western Europe.

And just like the Whewell sisters,

three-quarters of those affected are teenage girls.

So, what's happening? And can anything be done about it?

In a unique experiment,

we are going to get the Whewell sisters to swap lives, lifestyles

and diets with the Thompson sisters -

two super-fit, super-healthy teens

with very different ideas about the food you should eat.

I couldn't eat takeaways every night.

It'd be horrible.

But can the Thompsons inspire the Whewells and us

to overcome our national battle with the bulge?

The village of Abersychan in the Afon Lloyd Valley, Gwent

is home to the Whewell family.

Mum Helen and Dad Warren have been married for 13 years -

it is their second marriage.

Between them, they have three dogs, two cars,

one hot tub

and two teenage daughters worried about their weight.

18-year-old Bonnie from Helen's first marriage

and 12-year-old Jenni, who is all their own work.

The Whewells are a busy, bustling, close-knit family,

whose love for each other is matched by only one thing -

their collective love of food.

We're into food a lot.

I like all different kinds of food,

but mostly at the moment it's junk food.

I enjoy cooking. You know, it's a real treat for me to cook.

Yeah, she really likes cooking.

On a normal day,

if we're all together, we'd have a cooked breakfast.

A full Welsh breakfast today.

For lunch, she'd usually makes some sort of sandwich and chips,

or some chicken and chips.

Jenni, yours is ready!

I'm very guilty, actually.

I'll cook a meal and if they won't eat it,

I can't bear to think that they'll go hungry,

so I'll cook them something else.

There have been times where I've had all the kids home

and I've cooked six different meals.

So, at the moment, Mum's into lamb shanks.

Beef bourguignon or casserole or curry.

Steaks and stuff like that, we do overload on that.

Snacking is awful.

Fizzy drinks, crisps, chocolate.

We do have quite a lot of takeaways now.

Burgers, kebabs, chicken nuggets...

With takeaways, I would say, on a very bad week, we might have three.

Cos it's easy, isn't it?

You know, it is very easy just to go out and get a takeaway.

We have eaten like this for quite some time, I would say.

But I think where we've gone wrong is that you're meant to eat

to live, but we now live to eat.

Burgers? Onions? Onions?

But all of this fun with food has its dark side.

Like 59% of Welsh adults,

the Whewell family now fall into the category of being

overweight, or obese,

and it's having a negative impact on all of them.

For 12-year-old Jenni,

peer pressure and social acceptance are already a worry.

I am a bit more aware of my body weight since I've been 12,

because when you're in primary school you don't really care

what you look like.

So, when you go up from primary school to high school,

you feel more self-conscious.

Some people, you look at them and you want to be like them -

they're kind of your role model.

And you think, "They're much prettier than you.

"They're much slimmer than me."

It's a teenage world of perceived prejudice and harsh self-judgement

that 18-year-old Bonnie and her friends are acutely aware of.

I think there's a lot of emphasis on weight now.

At this age, people expect size ten, I suppose.

Do you know what I mean?

The thing is now, I kind of judge myself by other people.

So, if I see a girl which I think is around my size,

I'll say to myself, "Do I look that big?"

And then, yeah...

I don't think they look as good as other people,

but that sounds really shallow.

And whilst Bonnie and Jenni worry about how diet and lifestyle affect

their appearance, Helen and Warren fear the impact to their insides.

Physically, I feel tired a lot of the time.

I get worried about the processed meat and that sort of thing.

I'm a bit paranoid about it because cancer was quite high

up in my family. And when you read all of the things,

especially about processed meat, that worries me more than anything.

I've got a heart condition called supraventricular tachycardia

and I get quite significant heart arrhythmia,

and I then get chest pain and very, very chronic fatigue.

It's a condition that can be treated, but my consultant is very

reluctant to do that unless I've lost a significant amount of weight.

Hello, my darling. Mum, don't do that.

We've decided to do this experiment

because things really do need to change, for all of us.

I'm not sure if we can do that gradually

without a very stark lesson being learnt, because I think we've got

in to that sort of mind set where food is central to everything.

So, I think we really need to learn some new habits

and break the old ones.

And who better to teach the Whewells some vigorous new habits than

the ultra-fit...

Ready, steady, go!

..ultra-competitive Thompson family?

Sports mad sisters Rosie, 15,

and Eva, 13, train and compete seven days a week.

This is for gymnast of the year.

This is for gymkhana.

These are for athletics.

That's my gymnastics trophy, when I was five.

They're ice skating.

They're my medals for gym - I have 40.

And Mum and Dad are no sporting slouches either.

I was the only one who brought home a medal from the Welsh Champs.

In fact, the whole Thompson family, including the horses,

the chickens and the dog are exhausting just to watch.

And juggling this high energy,

time-intensive lifestyle requires planning and discipline.

And so home life on a sprawling Cardiff estate is run like a

mini commando unit.

Paramedic Dad Freddie is ex-military,

but it's Mum Sarah, a nurse, who's in charge of this particular unit.

I don't want to call it a regime

because that sounds too Hitler or Stalin.

Does one of you want to go and sort the chickens out?

Cos...they're coming in the conservatory.

The kids would call me controlling.

They call me a control freak.

Will you sort the chickens out, Eva?

I think you'll find that the kids would probably say,

"Mum's a control freak."

You must go and check the eggs after.

She means well, but she's a control freak.

It's a harsh description for someone who simply cares passionately

that her super-fit family are properly fuelled.

I think that the diet is hugely important.

You get out what you put in, basically, so if you don't have

good fuel inside you, then what do you expect to ask of your body?

My mum monitors every food we have.

Everything has to be healthy with her.

Carbohydrates, protein and fruit and vegetables.

We've got a meal planner in the kitchen.

We've got ideas for breakfast, lunch when they're in school,

they have a packed lunch, and dinner and ideas for snacks.

They're organised then and they don't have to think,

because when they come home from school,

they don't seem to have that capacity to think.

Can you come and get your lunch, please?

Everybody has the same.

I'm not really making a fuss of their likes and their dislikes.

They'll have it. If they don't want it, they can pick it out.

I really do think it is a battle and I think if you, for a moment,

take your eye off the ball, that's it.

When I'm out with my friends and

I pick up something that's not healthy,

I have my mum's voice at the back of my head, like,

"You shouldn't be doing that. You shouldn't eat that."

And then I feel guilty and I'm like, "Oh, no, I can't do it."

I think you can eat some rubbish with a good balanced diet

and it's all about balance.

If I eat a piece of chocolate cake, I won't go and say,

"That chocolate cake was really nice. Can I have six more pieces, please?"

Cos that would be...

That's greedy and that's sick.

It's knowing what's right and what's wrong.

I know what's good for me and what isn't.

I am what I am and we are what we are.

Did you know that if you talk for 52 minutes,

you burn 100 calories?

The Thompsons and the Whewells - two extremely different families.

One happy with their lifestyle and their diets.

One who really wants to change.

But can the Thompsons help the Whewells achieve those changes?

We're about to find out

because it's time to begin our unique experiment.

For the next week, Bonnie and Jenni will swap homes, parents,

lifestyles and diets with Rosie and Eva.

Will the healthy habits of the goody two shoes Thompsons

rub off on the Whewells?

Nice Thompson hoodie, which says, "British Finals."

Or will the Whewells corrupt the Thompsons with a steady

stream of cakes, pies and takeaways?

And four poppadoms, please.

We've no idea and neither have they.

At this point, the girls don't even know where

they are going, let alone who's shoes they'll be stepping into.

So, we've asked both sets of sisters to make each other

an introductory DVD.

Hi, I'm Rosie. And I'm Eva.

We lead quite busy lives.

On a Monday, I do athletics training. I do long distance.

On Mondays, I do hurdles and pole vaults.

On Tuesday, I do athletics training.

Wednesday, I go for a long bike ride.

Thursdays, I do gym...

and ice skate in the morning at seven.

Hi, I'm Bonnie. I'm Jenni.

We're the sisters you'll be swapping with. Welcome to our home.

While you're here, I'm sure Mum will make you a loads of strange food,

which you've probably never tasted before.

A lot of deserts, cakes cake pops, panna cotta...

We usually go to the kebab shop, chip shop, McDonald's.

I reckon we eat too many takeaways.

With Mum, we could impolitely describe her as control freak.

My mum is very friendly. She's very happy. She's very soppy.

To get around her, just make her feel guilty about something

and she'll give in straight away.

In this family, we compete with each other a lot.

Good luck to you both. You'll have a pretty busy week.

Ooh... Oh, no. This is going to be a nightmare!

It probably will be a dietary nightmare.

I think we could come back and we could be the unhealthy ones.

I've had a wakeup call already, really. Have you? Yeah. Right.

We do nothing. They are just going to think we're slobs.

ALL LAUGH

Oh, dear. Not quite the reactions we were hoping for.

But there's no turning back now,

and it's time to get this swap on the road.

So, any final hopes and fears?

I feel quite good. Excited. Nervous.

Intrigued.

Nervous about meeting the mum and dad,

about doing all the sporty activities.

You're excited, aren't you?

I just don't want to embarrass myself.

I'm feeling really worried about what the family eat -

unhealthy food all of the time.

In a week's time, I'd like to say that I know how to have a

healthy diet, how to live a more active lifestyle,

lose a bit of weight.

Just feel good about myself in my own skin, I suppose.

Don't cry. Don't kiss me cos you've got lipstick on.

Basically, be more healthy, be more active, do more sports...

No, Mum.

..and to gain self-confidence.

Well, it's clear what Bonnie and Jenni hope to gain from the swap.

Right, party!

But how do Rosie and Eva feel about their challenge of getting

Helen and Warren to try a healthier lifestyle?

If, at the end of the week, they've changed then I think I'd be

a bit flattered.

I might be quite proud of myself and Eva for having an impact on them.

There is one worrying fact that we've kept from the Thompson

family - that a young person is five times more likely to be

overweight if one of the adults they live with is also overweight.

So, what happens if a week with the Whewells turns Eva

and Rosie into fast food junkies?

My worst fear for them would be burgers and chips,

takeaway pizza every night, soft drinks, full fat coke.

That would be my worst nightmare.

Looking forward to trying Helen's cake.

If they came home and told me that they wanted burgers

and chips for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it'd be a big fat no.

That's not going to happen.

We shall see.

Hello. Hello. Welcome. Good trip up? Yeah.

Nice to meet you. Come on in.

Hello! Come on in. Nice to meet you.

Nice to see you. Nice to see you.

You're Jenni, are you? Yeah.

First up, house rules.

We have one rule in this house. If you want anything,

please don't wait to be asked, just go and get it when you want it, OK?

So, if there's anything you fancy, just raid the cupboards.

Anything you fancy doing, whether it's cooking, going anywhere,

anything you want to eat, say.

We haven't really got any other rules, have we?

Apart from make your bed.

Have you got any questions?

No, not really, not yet.

So, are you hungry? Yeah.

Do you want a snack? Yes, please.

OK. What about some crisps? Yes, please.

Lovely. I shall get you a bowl each now.

Start as you mean to go on, so it's probably mung beans in Cardiff.

From a dinners point of view as well, this is where my kids

will have told you I'm a bit of a control freak.

I tend not to pander to any specific needs unless it's an allergy.

Girls, this is some of the meal planners.

What do you think of the dinners?

Yeah, I like all of that.

You're the fussy eater, aren't you?

I think I might struggle cos I'm not a fan of fish.

- Erm... - Do you wonder what that is?

Yeah. It's where we have a takeaway.

Dirty food.

Street food. Dirty food.

The kids have gone off having dirty food night.

They prefer to have it homemade.

My gosh. Homemade kebabs as well.

- What sort of takeaways do you have? - Kebabs.

Yeah, we have kebabs, Indian, Chinese, McDonald's, Domino's. KFC.

You know that beef bourguignon you were looking forward to for lunch?

Well, it's probably more likely to be beans on toast.

I'd rather that.

So, with the ice broken, it's healthy beans

for the new regime in Cardiff.

Whilst in Abersychan,

the girls are limbering up for their lunch with baskets full of crisps.

And guess what's on the menu for the main course?

We've got beef bourguignon.

We've got some potatoes, which were picked off the patio this morning.

We're going to have quite a simple lunch really, and then for dessert

we've got elderflower and Prosecco jelly with fruit set in to it.

We don't want to fill them up too much cos we've got quite

a lot of food for tonight for the barbeque.

And because I know they like chocolate,

I've made them a chocolate torte.

Food, glorious food.

The crisps were a bit big.

When they came out, I was like, "OK..."

There's lunch and then we've got dinner. Then we've got a barbeque.

Oh dear.

It's just so much.

I'm quite full after the crisps.

I'll try to eat as much as I can.

We'll see how the first day goes, then we'll...

Start the changes on the second day.

They're really nice people. They're really nice.

I don't know how I'm going to cope for the week.

Here we go. Right, that one's yours.

And I'll get yours now.

Mad.

It's a feast for Rosie and Eva, but is it famine for Bonnie and Jenni?

We're making beans on toast with cheese,

but I've never tried beans on toast with cheese before.

No way!

When I was a student, we used to do great things with a tin of beans.

I think we'll be needing a lot of energy later today,

so we'll have a bit of protein and some energy-giving food.

Wow!

It's adventurous really, isn't it?

Something different.

Beans on toast with onions in. I quite like it. It's a change...

No butter on the toast. Don't need the butter on the toast.

I don't like butter on toast that much anyway. Good.

Adventurous? Maybe. Healthy? Definitely. And cheap.

Helen's beef bourginion is not only five times the calorie

count of those humble beans, but at £5 a head, it also costs five

times as much, which may go some way to explain her weekly food bill.

Our average is about £180 and that's what we try...

On a week where we're not doing anything special,

but then we have a sort of entertainment budget, if you like.

So, you could easily go another £100 over that

if you've got something going on, or you're having people around.

We only spend about £20 a week on what we buy.

Then, on one week, its £30 or £40 cos of the veg box.

Yeah, cos we have a veg box delivered.

That's once a fortnight. Yeah.

I'm guessing you don't go hungry on that.

You know, you've got plenty of food there. Wow.

Just think what we could do if we only spent that much on food.

I'm really really impressed by that.

Perhaps we ought to try that.

Right, scrub this then. Beans on toast all week?

That fortnightly veg box is key to the Thompson's pre-planned

cheap and healthy diet,

but it's certainly not the way to Jenni's heart, or stomach.

Do you like stuffed mushrooms? No.

No. Loads of courgettes. Do you like courgettes? Nope.

We'll hide them for you.

Do you like tomatoes? Nope.

Do you like fruit? Pears? A Pear? No. No? Apples? Yeah.

Bananas? Yeah.

Peaches? I've never tried them.

You haven't tried peaches. Strawberries? Nope.

Olives? No. Couscous?

I like couscous. I've never tried it.

I don't usually have vegetables at home -

it's usually chips.

What do you have for breakfast normally? Nothing.

But Mum started buying Pop Tarts

and we've started having them for breakfast, and that's not good.

Why is that not good, Bonnie?

Chocolate for breakfast.

So, we're just four hours into this seven-day experiment

and some pronounced local difficulties are already surfacing.

Jenni's extreme fussy eating could seriously hamper any attempt

to wean her off kebabs, Pop Tarts and chips.

And things are no better in Abersychan,

where far from encouraging Helen

to follow her dreams of a healthier diet and £20 a week food bills,

Eva and Rosie appear to have gone native.

We haven't been that active today and it's made me

more tired than I normally would be after doing exercise.

I think I might feel really tired, not being active.

It's kind of draining, being inside all day.

You're a bit like...

I can't be bothered.

Well, there's been a modicum of outdoor activity -

a trip to the local butchers to get meat for the barbeque.

I'll have 20 burgers,

ten plain sausages and ten dragon sausages, please.

Do you like...?

I guess the barbecue will be fun. Oh, that's perfect. Thank you.

There won't be a shortage of food.

I'm looking forward to trying the food and what there is.

If it comes with salad and stuff.

Whilst Eva and Rosie contemplate their next meal,

there's no time to slouch on the couch in Cardiff.

Fuelled up on beans and cheese,

it's time for Bonnie and Jenni to get physical.

What we've planned for this afternoon is to go for a nice long bike ride,

and hopefully we'll get to Castell Coch.

SHE GASPS

Really? That is long!

But it's all downhill on the way back.

So, we've gotta go uphill? Slightly.

Oh, my God. I'm going to be rolling back down.

ALL LAUGH

What was that? I don't know what to wear!

With what you're about to do, Bonnie,

fashion will be the least of your worries.

Countdown to the go.

I've been told it's about five miles there, about five miles back.

Yeah, if I can start going.

I haven't been on a bike in years.

Jen, Jen, Jen, Jen!

Put your breaks on then.

I am! You're not even that close.

I was. Now I'm getting close.

I don't think many people my age do exercise at all,

unless they're overweight and they're trying to lose weight.

I know a lot of my friends don't walk anywhere anymore.

If we're going somewhere, we always try and get a lift.

In Abersychan, party preparations are under way.

Tonight, we're having a little welcome party for Rosie and Eva.

We're going to have a barbeque and do a lot of the things that

we would do if our girls were home,

so we'll cook a lot of the same things.

Yeah, that's lovely. Thank you.

With a tub of pop to drink and a mountain of meat to consume,

Eva and Rosie have taken it upon themselves to prepare

something a little healthier - a super salad.

Raisins, grapes, lettuce, avocados,

pepper, sweetcorn and...

Raisins. Looks like little rabbit droppings.

I think the nice thing is that Rosie and Eva

have had a little bit of input into tonight's menu.

They've done an absolutely amazing salad, really beautiful.

Already I can see that they're starting to have a very small

but definite impact on us,

because I can't wait to eat the salad, whereas normally I'd be

thinking, "I can't wait to get my teeth around that steak."

But I'm actually thinking how nice the salad looks,

so I think that's brilliant.

Back on the bikes, Bonnie's feeling the burn.

Oh, my God, I don't know what to do.

I'm not as fit as I thought I would be.

Oh, my legs.

My bum is hurting already.

My bum is killing.

'This is kind of a wakeup call.

'I should be way fitter than this.'

Jenni, on the other hand, is loving the challenge.

OK, Jen? Yeah.

Attacking the one-in-ten gradient up to Castell Coch

with grit and determination.

Just keep your legs steady. That's it. You're doing well. Well done.

Now cycle faster. Cracking.

Helped out by her able new fitness instructor -

ex-army corporal Frederick Thompson.

Big cheer, yay! Come on, we did it. Well done.

She did absolutely fantastic, fair due to her.

How you feeling?

Tired, but proud of myself.

That's good.

The meat is on in Abersychan.

The salad's on the table, but will there be any takers amongst

the arriving guests?

Jenni's school friends Beth and Grace...

..Bonnie's boyfriend Joel and her best friend Amber.

As the burgers broil,

there's a chance to compare some very different lifestyles.

How far did you say you run?

I do 800, 1,500, cross country.

Cross country is quite long, isn't it? Yeah. 4K?

Really? Oh, my God.

Can you see Bonnie doing that?

I don't know. She's just not a sporty person.

I think she wants to be more sporty and stuff

because she does get proper worried about her weight.

It's constantly on her mind, about her weight, and she hates it.

She's only put the weight on over the past two years, I'd say.

She looks back at pictures and thinks, "Why am I not the same size?"

The last time I rode a bike would have been...

six years ago at least, maybe even longer.

Well done, Bonnie.

I haven't done anything like that for a long time.

Woo! I'm feeling really good.

Exercise gives you a good feeling, I think.

All the blood is rushing around my body.

It's been a first day of contrasting experiences and contrasting foods.

There you go, sweetheart. You want the works?

And there's a long way to go if the Whewell family truly want to

get to grips with their lifestyle and their diet,

and some big questions to be answered.

Burgers? Onions?

Can Bonnie stop bingeing on takeaways?

I feel like, in my head now, I know I can do it more

and I've got the will there to get fitter.

Can Jenni overcome her fussy attitudes to food?

Try it. You've gotta try stuff.

The whole point of this experience is to trying new stuff.

Nope, I'm not eating it.

Fine.

Chicken's off, I'm afraid, nobody can have any.

And will Helen and Warren accept

that it is them who need to take the lead?

Why? Cos I'm having it all.

I feel that parents have quite a big responsibility

in the upbringing of the children because they are the key educators.

So, if those behaviours are there from the start,

the child is going to learn bad behaviours

and that's not going to be preferable for a long life.

In the next Family Life Swap, Sarah tells it like it is...

Life is tough - it is a competition.

..Rosie has a confectionary confession...

I dream about cake and I dream about my teeth falling out.

Really?

..and Bonnie has some candid online advice for Helen and Warren.

It's you that need to change!

Subtitles By Red Bee Media Ltd