Episode 3 Family Life Swap

Two sets of very different sisters living very different lifestyles

are taking part in an unique life swap.

12-year-old Jenni Whewell and her 18-year-old sister Bonnie

are struggling with exercise...

I don't do anything sporty.

..their diets...

I eat all this different kind of junk food.

Kebabs, burgers.

..and their weight.

I've gone up from a size 8-10 to a 14.

But Bonnie and Jenni are not alone.

Because Welsh teenagers are the most overweight in Western Europe.

And 75% of those fighting the flab are girls.

In a week-long experiment,

Bonnie and Jenni have swapped lives with the Thompson sisters.

Rosie, 15, and Eva, 13, are super-healthy, super-active

and very conscious of what they eat.

But can the Thompson family inspire the Whewells, and us,

to overcome our national battle with the bulge?

It's halfway through the seven-day experiment that is Family Life Swap.

What sauce, please?

And in Cardiff, Bonnie and Jenni's attempts

to adopt a healthier lifestyle and diet

have seen food fallouts...

-Do you like couscous?

-No.

-She's driving me mad!

-'Why?'

-She won't try anything!

..and physical challenges.

Oh, no!

I feel like I'm falling off!

In Abersychan, meanwhile, Rosie and Eva's attempts

to get the Whewell parents to change their ways

have largely fallen foul of Rosie's sweet tooth...

They're my weakness! They even match my nails.

..and a mountain of fabulous food.

Girls, kebabs!

But in a Skype call home,

the finger of blame is pointed firmly at mum Helen.

-It's you that need to change!

-HE LAUGHS

You need to buy the right food.

-It's actually my fault.

-It's you.

-Yeah.

-You're the only one, I'm afraid.

-Right.

And whilst her daughters have been embracing

a new diet and lifestyle in Cardiff...

Aaah!

..can Helen meet the challenge and change hers?

We're obviously too indulgent.

Or is she too firmly stuck in her ways?

I'm sorry, I just love it all.

LAUGHTER

Day four of the swap,

and in Abersychan, last night's Skype call

appears to have given Helen some real food for thought.

Instead of a full fry-up on the go,

she's accepted Rosie and Eva's offer

of a fresh fruit salad for breakfast.

Oh, fantastic. Thank you so much.

-It's absolutely fabulous. Isn't it lovely?

-Mm.

Helen's also got out of bed in a reflective mood.

What I think has become clear over the last couple of days

is there's actually quite a psychological element

to food in this house.

And it's not necessarily about eating

the right things for the right reasons.

It's about, um...probably over-nurturing a little bit.

I think I need to toughen up a little bit and, um...

You know, they won't starve,

because humans aren't programmed to starve, are they? They will eat.

So I think I just need to get a bit of a grip on that

and not be too indulgent with them.

-So I am learning.

-Mm.

I've got two very good teachers, though, I've got to say.

-Yep.

-We're quite proud of being the good teachers.

LAUGHTER

I feel very virtuous.

HE LAUGHS

So is this really Helen seeing the lifestyle light,

or is she just paying lip service? Well, we're about to find out.

As part of the experiment, we've encouraged both swap families

to go on a mini break.

In Cardiff, regular campers Sarah and Freddie

are going to take Bonnie and Jenni to Mid Wales,

where ex-soldier Freddie is going to introduce them

to the harsh delights of living off the land

and push their desire for a healthier lifestyle to the limits.

I've never been in a tent before,

so I'm looking forward to that experience.

I'm a bit nervous about sleeping in a forest overnight.

If there's an axe murderer or something.

Um... But apart from that, I'm quite excited as well.

Remember, girls, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Except perhaps forest-dwelling axe murderers.

We're off.

In Abersychan, regular Caravan Clubbers Warren and Helen

are planning to introduce the Thompson sisters

to the seaside charms of Porthcawl.

But the question is, will Helen make full use

of this box of fruit and veg she's decided to take,

or will the allure of hot dogs and pink candyfloss

see her falling back on old habits?

Only time will tell.

But whilst the caravaners motor to Porthcawl,

on this Builth Wells campsite, the survivalists have arrived.

Come on, then.

Before the swap, Bonnie and Jenni's idea

of experiencing the great outdoors

was sitting in the hot tub at the bottom of their garden.

Up in the rolling hills, Freddie's going to use his military background

to show them the benefits of some brisk and free alfresco exercise.

Starting with how quickly they can put up a tent

before it and them are soaked through by the rain.

-Bon, that's your side.

-No, that goes that way!

That goes that way, cos this is the door, I think.

You're not listening, are you?

-What are you doing?!

-It's got to be of equal length!

After six minutes and 42 seconds, Freddie's tent is military grade.

Push it up, push it up, push it up!

But the girls are lacking one essential army ingredient.

We're not very good at teamwork.

Ow!

I think I just broke a nail.

Which is why...

Oh, crikey! It's like a paddling pool!

..47 minutes later...

My hair's wrecked, my make-up's wrecked, and my nails are wrecked.

I just don't care any more.

..they finally get there.

-You've done it!

-Wahey!

-Kind of.

Let's hope the afternoon yomp goes a bit smoother.

In Porthcawl, meanwhile,

things are a bit more chillaxed and home from home.

The most important thing, kettle's on.

Whilst Warren and the girls get on with the awning,

Helen's in the kitchen.

But is she going straight for the crisps and the biscuits?

I'm going to do some lunch in a minute.

I'm going to make a batch of fajitas,

which is a traditional thing we do when we come away in the caravan,

um...but, you know, we're going to have some healthy options as well.

Today, I've brought some asparagus,

which I'm going to wrap in Parma ham and then barbecue,

and we'll do some chargrilled peppers as well.

Rather than sort of going and looking for maybe some chips

or something stodgy to go with it,

we're going to go for a healthy option.

And continuing this spirit of culinary adventure,

Rosie's undertaking a new experience, too,

preparing the raw chicken for the fajitas.

It feels like jelly.

It's really weird.

But it's like...

I don't know, you can't stop feeling it, it's...ugh!

Do you reckon slugs feel like this?

There's a healthy mollusc-textured lunch on the go in Porthcawl.

Whilst in Builth, the weather's finally broken

and they've got a wholesome hike on the menu.

# I want to be your drill instructor. #

-It's a good warm-up for your legs, Bonnie, this.

-Yep.

For a healthy lifestyle,

experts recommend 30 minutes of brisk exercise every day.

Happy campers!

But for a long time now, Bonnie's had next to no exercise at all.

I like a hike, I just haven't walked in about a year.

Whilst it might not be the arduous army yomp that Freddie's used to,

it's certainly a push for the girls.

-It's a never-ending hill!

-It'll end.

-I'm boiling now.

-You're boiling now?

They're covering three miles in around 40 minutes.

I can't really feel anything.

You're numb? Bonnie's gone numb!

Ah, look! There's our campsite. Ah, isn't that pretty?

But are they feeling any benefit?

I think changing our activities is making a massive change in myself.

We wouldn't normally do half as much stuff we've done this week at all.

It'd be more relaxed, like...watching television,

going in the hot tub, going for a drive, say.

So there's a massive difference.

Meanwhile, in Porthcawl, Helen's conversion to healthy living

might not yet have got to the point

where she's thrown out the frying pan,

but it's definitely gaining in zeal.

I'm being very mindful about portion control.

Normally, the compulsion is that if I've got that many asparagus,

I would need to wrap every single one of them in Parma ham

and cook every single one,

but I'm trying to convince myself

that, actually, it's OK to leave some for the next meal.

But it is quite difficult.

In a society where we're brought up to be told not to waste anything,

it is quite a challenge, actually.

Because I can remember my grandparents saying,

"There's children in the world who haven't got any food,

"so use up everything, eat up everything."

So I'm trying to remember it's OK to leave it until the next meal.

It's not going to cause any problem. So I'm getting there, I think.

And Helen's not just getting there on the food front.

Both she and Warren are getting physical, too.

LAUGHTER

Oh, look, you need to get it, Warren!

Helen! Helen!

CHEERING

Dinner.

If my cardiologist could see me now!

He'd have a heart attack.

And after all that vigorous exercise, how about refuelling

on some healthy low-fat white meat and fresh vegetable fajitas?

Not so sure about the fizzy drinks and lashings of sour cream,

but they could always burn it off with more Swingball.

And whilst Helen's trying to address

her dependence on unhealthy convenience foods,

in Builth, the Thompsons are about to go to the other extreme.

Guys, we're all getting a bit hungry.

Should we go and catch our own dinner for tonight?

Do some fishing? See if we can catch a big trout?

GIRLS LAUGH

-All right, Jenni?

-Yeah.

-Go fishing?

-Yeah, I'll try it.

-Good.

When they go off camping,

Freddie and Sarah regularly forage and fish for their food.

And without the easy temptation

of a takeaway or supermarket for miles around,

it's a great opportunity for Bonnie and Jenni

to have a go at sourcing their supper the way nature intended.

I am not happy.

I can't even believe I've been persuaded to do this.

Or not.

Jenni, you're on a dry fly, you fish upstream.

And, Bonnie, you're on a wet fly.

Food experts say we don't eat enough fish,

which is not just rich in protein, vitamins and minerals,

it is also a natural source of Omega 3,

which is very good for our brains,

making fish, quite literally, food for thought.

-Ooh!

-You've got a fish.

-Jenni!

-It's not big.

Jenni's just caught in her first cast -

hold your rod up - a brown trout.

I am really excited because I've caught a fish.

But it's a fish that's too small for the pot.

And away he goes.

And that's the inconvenience of non-convenience food.

You can't just grab it off the shelf and go.

I'm really bored.

In Porthcawl, they're also embracing the outdoor life - kind of.

29.602.

They've gone geocaching,

which is like a treasure hunt with sat-navs and cars.

Yeah, OK.

It's a regular hobby of Helen and Warren's

and although they usually go geocaching solely by car,

today they're also incorporating a bit of physical exercise.

Go, Helen! Go, Helen!

The basic premise of geocaching

is that you are given a set of coordinates to locate...

51, 29, 627.

..and some riddles to solve.

If it's a G, then it's probably a T.

-And an L is a Y, so the first word is "try", got it?

-Oh.

And even if you're pretty clueless...

Which direction are we heading?

..it's good clean fun.

-We're enjoying it.

-We're enjoying this.

It's like going on an adventure.

-And if you can get over the hiccups...

-What's the code? Helen?

Where am I? That's a very good question.

...and the hurdles...

-I'm stuck again!

-Wait, wait.

..and you finally find your little treasure...

Got it!

..it even comes with a little prize.

"Congratulations,

"you've won tickets to the magical Coney Beach amusement park."

Whoo!

Brilliant.

What do you like to do at the fair?

Go on rides.

-Go on rides? Scary rides?

-Yeah.

Oh, no.

In Builth, the fly-fishers are back on dry land.

It's not been an altogether successful expedition.

There might be fish on the barbie,

but ironically they've come from the shop.

We all caught smaller brown trout in the river today.

Unfortunately, they weren't of suitable size

in order to keep and eat tonight,

so we've had to rely on the local fishmonger

supplying us with our fish.

Furthermore, watching Freddie prepare their supper

is threatening to put Bonnie and Jenni off fish for life.

-Insert the knife.

-Ugh!

That's disgusting.

I think it's cos we haven't seen

what's on the inside of a fish before,

and we're just shocked by what we see.

Ugh!

In a supermarket, you wouldn't see all the gross insides,

and you wouldn't have to do that yourself unless you chose to.

That's all his internals gone.

-I don't think I'll be able to eat that one!

-No!

Freddie's hoping the sumptuous smell of barbecued fresh trout

will help change the girls' minds.

Here's a portion coming in, guys.

But can he win over Jenni, a notoriously fussy eater?

-That looks good.

-This is the brown trout. This is the rainbow trout.

-It smells!

-Right, come on now.

-It smells!

Why do I have to have it next to me?

We're all going to have it next to us.

Why don't you taste a bit? Are you going to try a bit, Jen, of fish?

I'm not looking forward to this.

-It's nice!

-Here we go.

Yeah, I don't like that.

-What don't you like about it?

-It's too strong.

-It's not strong at all.

-It is!

What's strong about it? What do you mean by strong?

-Fishy.

-It's fish!

Not for me. Nope.

-Try the other one.

-Nope.

It's official, I don't like fish.

-Just give it another go.

-I'm not, no.

Well, make sure you fill up on salad and potatoes, then,

and you can be veggie for the night, eh?

-Yeah, I'll be a veggie for the night.

-Okey-dokey.

And whilst they've been having their fill of fishy fun in Builth,

in Porthcawl, they've been hitting the fairground rides.

After limbering up on a diet of Dodgems...

..cuddly toys

and ghost trains...

..Rosie and Eva persuade Warren

to undertake an alternative weight-loss regime.

Called the gravity gut buster,

it involves hitting enough high-velocity fairground rides

to make you feel so sick

that you completely lose your appetite for a week.

Helen is excused this torment

as she has a heart condition serious enough to require surgery,

treatment she can't have until she loses weight.

So it's just as well they keep moving past

those on-site easy temptations.

But no fun-fair visit's complete without winning...

Yes!

..a goldfish.

See? The other team are not the only team who can go fishing.

And they leave the fair with their winnings bagged,

and all hot dogs, candyfloss and toffee apples avoided.

But after a great day full of good intentions...

..they fall at the final chip shop.

Um, can I have a small portion of chips with fish, please?

Which they then take back to the caravan,

where Helen and Warren, chip-shop visit aside,

can reflect on what's been a pivotal day.

It has been a good day.

It's ironic, really, because the girls think probably

that they're having a not very active week, but I've never done so much.

-Yeah, it's been pretty hectic, hasn't it?!

-I'm really tired.

It's sort of mixed feelings, really,

because it's quite a stark reminder for me that I can't go on the rides

because I've got a heart condition,

and again it sort of reinforces, you know,

I'd like to be fitter and active, lose a bit of weight.

I can have this done, then I can do all those things again.

But, you know, we have managed to eat healthier...

What we're about to indulge in.

..apart from the curry and chips behind me.

It's a well-deserved treat, I think.

It is a well-deserved treat,

and maybe, because we've been so active today, you know,

perhaps the impact of having curry and chips as a treat

-isn't so significant.

-No, indeed, yeah, I agree.

It's lovely.

I'm quite happy with the chicken and chips.

We did quite a bit of exercise today,

walking around looking for the geocaching stuff.

And the fruit salad this morning for breakfast.

I thought that was yesterday.

I know, it feels like yesterday.

And the walking around the rides today and then Swingball.

I think we did well.

I've never been so tired in my life.

But it's been a good day, it's been a lovely day.

The morning after the camping night before,

and it's also the final day of the swap.

In Porthcawl, it's time to head back home,

though not before Rosie's woken up to the realisation

that the junk food she's been gorging on all week

has left her not only lethargic,

but - horror of teenage horrors - she's got spots!

I'm starting to see the side effects of all these takeaways.

My skin's going greasy and I've come out in spots this morning.

I'm having a break-out.

Hmm!

I can't cope with this anymore.

Healthy foods today, lots of fruit today.

Whilst fresh fruit is the order of the final day for Rosie...

..in Cardiff, Bonnie and Jenni are enjoying

more fresh outdoor activities.

More walking...

..more free outdoor exercise...

Go on, Jenni! Go in!

-..More...

-It's a hard choice.

..ice cream?!

Can I have a chocoholic heaven, please?

Hold on a minute, Sarah.

I don't really have a moral dilemma here,

cos we've got the good with the bad.

We had a nice walk. That's just a nice treat.

If you are going to have a treat,

you do need to do some exercise to make up for it,

so that's what I'm planning on doing in the future.

And that future starts now,

with an activity Bonnie hasn't done in years.

Aaah!

And whilst everyone's having good, clean fun in Cardiff,

in Abersychan, Helen and Warren's commitment to a healthier lifestyle

is about to be sorely tested.

This could be a whole new positive experience for us

and the horse.

-Hmm.

-HE CHUCKLES

I am nervous.

As the activity for the day, Eva and Rosie have decided

they should all saddle up and go trekking.

Oh, Molly!

Helen hasn't mounted a horse since she was a teenager,

and for Warren this is a completely new and holy undesired experience.

-Feels like a fish out of water, I think.

-Oh, my God!

You know when you tense up every muscle in your body?

That's what I feel like now, really tense.

It's scarier than I remember it, but that's probably

because I'm older and the horse is bigger, but I feel fine.

HE LAUGHS

It's exercising some long unused muscles.

I can feel the muscles in my legs,

but, no, I didn't think I'd enjoy it quite as much as I have, actually.

It's brill, really brilliant.

Warren's doing good for this first time.

HE MUTTERS

Getting Helen back on the horse, maybe she'll want to ride again.

And Warren, maybe he'll start riding with Helen.

Whoo!

HE LAUGHS

I reckon they should do it more often.

It was good, I might do that again, actually, saying that.

We could come with the kids.

Helen's done more exercise in the last 24 hours

than she has in the previous decade.

Jenni and Bonnie have had more healthy food

and activities in the last week than they have in years.

And Rosie and Eva have eaten enough cakes for a lifetime's sugar rush.

But the experiment is now drawing to a close.

And on the last evening of the swap,

it's time to reflect on what the week has meant.

In Cardiff, Bonnie and Jenni have offered to make tea.

Utilising all of the good habits they have learnt

in their week with the Thompsons,

they're cooking up a Whewell family favourite with a difference.

This dish is called Pasta La Vista,

so it has chicken breasts, leaks, peppers, onions and mushrooms.

And then, instead of the cream, we're going to use creme fraiche.

It's got much less calories, it's got much less fat.

It's the healthier option.

And what else will the girls take away from this week?

I think I've learnt myself that I'm up for a challenge, um,

I don't give up when the going gets tough, I suppose,

and I can learn how to put health into my lifestyle as well as fun.

I've been afraid of being...

becoming overweight for a... a few years,

so this is the time when I can stop and start a new lifestyle,

start a new diet, and I think it'll help a lot.

It is sad that I've got to this point,

but I've let myself get to this point.

It's not just everyone else's fault.

You know, so I hold myself completely at blame.

If I had wanted to change, I should have,

but I think now is the turning point.

I think now I'm still young enough to change something,

and Jenni's young enough to change something

about what's going to happen in our lives,

and I think now is the perfect chance.

In Abersychan, there have been big realisations for Helen, too.

You know, I don't need to be told that I need to lose weight.

I can see that quite clearly.

I'm quite acutely aware of that in terms of my health problems.

But actually understanding that

and being able to put that in practice is a very different thing,

and that, I think, has been the difference of this week.

Rather than being told and thinking, "Yeah, I know that.

"It's common sense, you know, it's not rocket science,"

actually being in the moment and actually doing that stuff,

and actually feeling pretty good about yourself.

The understanding that goes with that, I think, is really powerful.

The following morning, the swap comes to an end

and the families were reunited.

-Do I get a kiss?

-No.

But that was eight weeks ago, when the Whewells were still

stuffed full of good intentions and healthy food.

So what has happened since?

Have they slipped back into their old indulgences?

That oh-so-appealing life of hot tubs, BBQs...

-Burgers?

-..and rich takeaway food?

Well...

I haven't had a chocolate bar for two months.

I haven't eaten a packet of crisps for two months.

I haven't had that many takeaways since being home. I think two, maybe?

I've certainly altered portion size.

Lots more fruit and vegetables in the house than there were.

I think my mum's changed quite a bit.

She's taking salads to work.

Definitely the way I look at food has changed.

I'm tending to go for the healthier option.

In college, you know, they have burger and chips, pizza and chips,

which is stuff I would have gone for before.

And I'm having jacket potato with salad, or a jacket potato with beans.

-Is that sparkling water?

-Yeah, do you want some?

I'm trying loads of new things now,

except for fish, cos I really don't like it.

Jenni came back positively evangelical.

Jenni was a nightmare when she came back.

I've been a bit more stricter with my mum and dad.

She had us doing meal plans...

She's drew up a menu for the week, that's stuck on the fridge now,

so we do try and stick to that.

If they say, "Oh, can we have a takeaway or something?"

I'll be like, "No."

We're been doing a lot more activities than we used to.

Since the swap, I've been going to the gym.

If you told me before the swap

that I would get up on a Sunday morning,

cycle 14 miles and enjoy it,

and then have enough energy to go on and do stuff the rest of the day,

I would never have believed you, so that's been a significant change.

In terms of the medical condition, it's still there.

I'm definitely nearer having it done

because the weight is starting to go,

and obviously I think, because I'm now fitter,

I think my recovery time is obviously going to be much better.

My body shape's changing, I know that,

because I've lost a lot of weight.

I've had a couple of tattoos done.

It's my name and that's Helen in Klingon.

HE LAUGHS

Everybody said, "You're having a mid-life crisis."

And I said "No, I'm not.

"It's just my whole different outlook on life, I guess."

I know I've lost weight,

and I think other people have noticed as well,

so that makes me feel happier in myself.

I'm so glad I did it.

I definitely see a change,

and I hope that I can take that on with me further in life.

It's been brilliant.

I think it achieved what we wanted it to achieve.

In the eight weeks since the swap, the Whewell family have between them

already lost approximately three and a half stones in weight,

not through fad diets, but by making simple changes

to their food intake and their lifestyle.

It can be done.

Just by making little changes

and just incorporating them into your routine,

it becomes second nature after a while.

And I honestly believe that if we can do it, then anyone can.

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