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00:00This is me, Josie Gibson, when I was a kid. Cute, right?
00:07And I've struggled with weight loss my whole life.
00:10I've been everything from a size 8 to a size 22.
00:15It's nowhere near.
00:16I tried the calorie deficit diets, the keto diet.
00:19My God.
00:20The shakes, the fat burners, the stuff that tastes like cardboard.
00:24But none of it's worked for long. I'm running out of diets.
00:28I can't imagine there's much nutrition in it.
00:31My auntie Ginny lived through the 1970s and she reckons...
00:35There weren't no big people in the 70s.
00:38And some experts think she has a point.
00:40Is it true that people were a lot smaller in the 70s?
00:43Yeah, it is true, actually.
00:45So I'm embracing the 70s lifestyle for two weeks
00:48with the help of Dr. Helen.
00:50I created a diet based on the average calorie consumption
00:53of a woman in the 1970s.
00:55And I'd like you to do a 20-minute wrist walk six times a week.
00:59I got my steps in last week
01:01with a glimpse of what shopping was like back then.
01:04It was all very much strawberries in the summer,
01:07sprouts in the winter.
01:08Bloody hell!
01:09I rolled my sleeves up with Alan at the allotments.
01:12And what makes good soil, Al?
01:14That is New York!
01:16And I tried some 70s classics with Aunt Ginny.
01:20Cheers!
01:21Cheers!
01:22But then I got some shocking news.
01:24Do you think I've got gout?
01:26Since my modern lifestyle doesn't seem to be doing me much good...
01:29The fact that me, a 40-year-old woman,
01:32might have suspected gout is quite hard to hear.
01:36This week, I'm more determined than ever
01:38to go and find out what they did differently 50 years ago.
01:41It wasn't even legal to open on a Sunday.
01:44And now we're surrounded by food.
01:46With the help of a few families who are time-travelling with me.
01:49OK, that's quite hard.
01:51Can the 70s way help me get healthier?
01:54I hope it tastes better than it looks.
01:56Fitter.
01:57Oh, that's funny!
01:59And maybe even a bit slimmer.
02:02Wait, what's the damage?
02:10So it's week two of the 1970s diet and it's not good news.
02:14It's difficult to say for definite,
02:16but based on the fact that you've got pain in your toes
02:18and that your uric acid levels are elevated on your blood test,
02:22that can predispose to a common type of arthritis called gout.
02:25Gout?
02:26I thought that was only, like, for, like, Henry VIII.
02:30I think there's a stereotype which isn't necessarily true.
02:33We are tending to see it in younger people more and more.
02:36I guess it's really a disease of lifestyles.
02:38And what happens is elevated levels of uric acid in the body
02:41which cause really painful, swollen, red joints.
02:45But food and diet can play a role in that.
02:47We know that certain foods like liver and pork and chicken
02:51can have high levels of purines in.
02:54And what happens in the body is they are broken down into uric acid
02:57and that can predispose to having these gouty attacks.
03:00So what does that mean for us going forward?
03:02I think the most sensible thing to do would be to replace
03:05some of the meats in the diet with some alternative proteins.
03:08Well, you know, it's a bit of a shock.
03:11I mean, I don't want you to worry too much.
03:13And, actually, it's going to be really interesting to see
03:15with some of the changes to your diet
03:17whether at the end when you do the repeat blood tests
03:19if the uric acid levels have reduced
03:21and if your toes are feeling better.
03:23In the meantime, I really hope that you enjoy the rest of the diet
03:26and I'll see you on the other side.
03:28Thank you, Helen.
03:29OK, take care.
03:30Bye, bye-bye.
03:32Gosh, that was unexpected.
03:34After finding out I might have gout from Helen,
03:38this diet needs to make a difference to my health going forward.
03:41Just doing my brisk walks is not going to cut it.
03:44I need to up my fitness game.
03:47Right now, more than ever, I need to be moving,
03:50moving my body, exercising
03:53and treating myself a little bit better.
03:57In the early 70s, health conditions like heart disease
04:00threatened the nation, but the NHS was strapped for cash.
04:03Sound familiar?
04:05So, in 1976, the government released a report
04:08promoting the importance of a healthy lifestyle
04:11to keep us all out of the doctor's office.
04:14This inspired a boom in exercise classes.
04:18Today, I'm swapping the gym
04:20for what I would have been doing 50 years ago.
04:26So, we're going to make this a bit of fun today,
04:28getting the arms and legs moving in sync.
04:31I'm in Bristol to join fitness instructor Amanda
04:34and her group of 70s generation ladies
04:36for a disco-inspired aerobics class.
04:39Up and down, down.
04:40I want to find out how they kept themselves fit back then.
04:44Getting into that 70s vibe.
04:46The amount of aerobics classes I've had to sneak out of
04:49is unbelievable.
04:50So, I'm just hoping that I can keep up with them, to be honest.
04:53This is warming up your shoulders and loosening off those ankles.
04:57Oh, who's this coming in?
04:59Sit the heel up.
05:00Hello.
05:01Welcome.
05:02OK.
05:03I think you need a little bit of our 70s magic, don't you?
05:07Oh, yeah.
05:08Oh, lovely.
05:09Watch those.
05:10Oh, thank you.
05:11All right.
05:12I'll see you in a minute.
05:13Come and join the gang.
05:14The 1970s saw 3,000 private fitness clubs
05:19open their doors to women
05:21and iconic fitness trends from across the pond
05:23grew in popularity here in the UK.
05:26Here she comes.
05:28Now that's a bit more keeping in the era, isn't it?
05:34At least we all look the same.
05:37Let's get you warmed up with us.
05:39So we're just going to start with a right-left march.
05:42That's it.
05:43Get your legs moving.
05:45All right.
05:46Take it forward with a swim.
05:48That's it.
05:50Just point your toe down.
05:52Swim the arm like you're doing in a locomotion.
05:55I can't remember the last time I was in a fitness class.
05:57I'm not doing too badly.
05:59Shall we just freestyle it?
06:01Come on, let's do it.
06:03Woo!
06:04Bit of disco style.
06:06Look at these two.
06:07Woo!
06:09That's fine!
06:10Go on, Kat.
06:11Oh, yeah.
06:12These ladies are not messing about.
06:15Look at them go.
06:16Oh, she's got the moves!
06:18Yeah!
06:19I think you said it was a raver back in there.
06:21Yeah!
06:22Yay!
06:24Yes!
06:25Yes!
06:26Yes!
06:27Yay!
06:28Give me a beat and a dance floor
06:31and I'll give John Travolta himself a run for his money.
06:34I don't need any encouragement!
06:40Thanks, ladies!
06:41Thank you very much!
06:42Thank you!
06:43Thank you!
06:44Thank you!
06:45Thank you!
06:46Right, ladies, thank you for catapulting me into the 70s,
06:51but that was a little bit embarrassing, actually,
06:53because you lot are hard to keep up with.
06:55Do you think a lot has changed when it comes to fitness?
07:01We just did it for enjoyment, the silliness, really, years ago.
07:05Can't imagine that many people having to go to the gym back then.
07:09The only ones that went to gyms were proper weightlifters.
07:13Yeah.
07:14We didn't have access to gyms.
07:16They were sweaty places with men.
07:19So we'd go to a church hall or a school hall or something
07:24with an instructor, pretty much like this,
07:27but we would then follow their routine.
07:30So, yeah, that was fitness in those days.
07:34Why did women start going to keep fit classes?
07:37You were able to talk and have a laugh.
07:39Well, so the keep fit classes were a bit of a social, really,
07:42for women.
07:43Yes.
07:44100%, that is.
07:45Well, you've done something for yourself.
07:47You haven't done something for husbands,
07:49you haven't done something for children or grandchildren.
07:52You've done something for you.
07:54Dance fitness sessions like Jazzercise
07:56and Jane Fonda's cardio workout classes provided women
07:59with a fun way to get fit and socialise.
08:02Men pumped iron, hoping to grow hunky bodies like Arnold Schwarzenegger,
08:06and many wives took dancing lessons,
08:08which kept them in shape and ready for their husbands' work-dos.
08:12At the same time,
08:13new fancy home exercise equipment was hitting the market.
08:17There was certain things you could buy
08:19that you got in the newspaper,
08:21and it'd be like a dog's bone thing,
08:23and you put it round your foot,
08:24and you had to keep doing this sort of thing.
08:27I had one of those.
08:29It was also the bulwarker,
08:30which was actually the chest compressor.
08:33Not an expander.
08:34Not an expander.
08:35Not an expander.
08:36But it used to improve your chest.
08:38Mm.
08:39And it obviously works.
08:41Yeah!
08:45The bulwarker, I love some investments!
08:50Oh, wow, have you seen this?
08:51This looks interesting.
08:52Yeah.
08:53I'm not the only one trying out 70s fitness.
08:55I've not seen any of these for years.
08:57Two of the families who've joined my journey back in time,
09:00the Rileys and the Taylors,
09:01are seeing if they can figure out some workout equipment from the decade.
09:05Tommy trimmer.
09:06Sitting erect, with legs straight.
09:09Sitting what?
09:10Do you have any real way?
09:11And that's dangerous.
09:13I'm not doing that.
09:15And up.
09:17And down.
09:19You can feel your chest.
09:20And your shoulders with that one.
09:22Okay, that's quite hard.
09:23Three, two, one.
09:26Yes, we did it!
09:29What were the body shapes like back then?
09:31Oh, slimmer.
09:32Oh, slimmer.
09:33It was sort of that sort of more waif-type slim, wasn't it, back then?
09:37Yeah.
09:38We were still on that hung up from the 50s,
09:40where, you know, a wife has to look nice and slim for her husband.
09:45Yeah.
09:46Whatever job you had or whatever, how tired you were,
09:48you were still expected to be doing the majority of things.
09:51Everything as well.
09:52But look good while you're doing it.
09:53Yeah.
09:54It wasn't just exercise classes,
09:56but the upkeep of the 1970s home that kept figures trim.
10:00Do you remember the Eubanks?
10:02Oh, yes.
10:03Yeah.
10:04We didn't have a Hoover.
10:05Oh, I call that a hudadadada.
10:07Oh, hudadadada.
10:08That's what I call it.
10:09So the housework was much more manual.
10:11Yeah.
10:12Yes.
10:13I'd love to think how many steps I used to get in on the day.
10:15Really?
10:16Yeah, a lot more than 10,000.
10:18The 1970s saw a wave of new technology with home appliances front and centre.
10:25These labour-saving devices arrived to make housework easier.
10:29Four out of five homes had a washing machine by the end of the decade,
10:33but many appliances still required housewives to do some heavy lifting.
10:37I remember how excited I was when I was bought a twin tub.
10:42Oh, yeah.
10:43And it meant you didn't have to wring out the washing and all that.
10:46It doesn't know what a twin tub is.
10:47What's a twin tub?
10:48Oh, my God, that sort of worked out.
10:50I was thinking, is that a bath or two?
10:55It was about this big.
10:56Yeah.
10:57To use it, you'd have to pull it out.
10:59You'd have a pipe that would go over the sink,
11:02and then you'd fill the washing machine,
11:05and it would wash upright like that.
11:07Then when that wash had finished,
11:09you'd pick it all up, and it was sopping wet,
11:11so it would go all over the floor and heavy.
11:14So that was your arm workout,
11:16and then you'd pop it into the tumble dryer.
11:18Spinner.
11:19Spinner.
11:20Spinner.
11:21And you put the spinner on, and...
11:23And you didn't...
11:26It slid across the kitchen.
11:28Yeah.
11:30It did.
11:31We used to sold on to them.
11:33My God, it's like a gym workout just to do the washing.
11:36It was.
11:37It was.
11:38Women in the 70s spent around 40 hours every single week
11:41doing manual housework.
11:43By 2000, new technology and men helping out more
11:46meant that that number had fallen by a quarter.
11:49When do you remember people's waistlines getting bigger?
11:52Hmm.
11:53I would say with the change of the food.
11:56Yeah.
11:57And I also think quantities.
11:58I think now people eat too much at one meal,
12:03and they have bits in between,
12:05whereas we didn't have money for bits in between.
12:08Can you remember how big the portions were?
12:10Well, you know, we used to have smaller portions.
12:12As then, you had your three meals a day, not big plates.
12:16It was spaced out properly.
12:18You were eating to live, not living to eat.
12:20Exactly.
12:21Yeah.
12:22After all that sweating, I've definitely earned myself a treat.
12:25So, with a few more days of being chained to the kitchen under my belt...
12:30It looks so appetizing.
12:32I am just tucking into my overnight oats.
12:35Helen's diet plan finally includes something I don't have to cook myself.
12:39Yay for me!
12:40We are off to the chip shop, and I cannot wait.
12:43After ten days on my time-travelling experiment, my seventies diet is treating us to a family favourite.
12:59We're off to the good old chipper.
13:01Back in the seventies, they would have probably walked to the chip shop,
13:04but I'm going to have to take the car.
13:06It's getting late, it's getting dark.
13:08I've got a six-year-old.
13:09And my nearest chippy is miles away.
13:12Yum, I can smell the glorious deep-fried goodness already.
13:18The families definitely remember what takeaways were like in the seventies.
13:23We used to go and visit my grandparents,
13:25and we always used to stop for fish and chips,
13:27and that would be our Friday night supper,
13:29that was a treat that we always look forward to.
13:31Fish and chips was once a month if you were lucky,
13:34depending on what finances were like.
13:36Even when we did, as kids, you didn't have fish.
13:39You said chips.
13:41You were lucky if you could have a sausage.
13:42Everybody had scraps on.
13:47Eating out was far less common fifty years ago,
13:50when around one in seven meals came from outside the home.
13:54Fish and chip shops were a familiar sight on the seventies High Street,
13:58but the servings weren't as generous.
14:01Today, the average chippy dishes up around 200 grams of fish
14:05and just under 300 grams of chips.
14:07That's around double the size of the normal seventies helping.
14:13We have been to the chip shop.
14:15So this is a today's portion of fish and chips.
14:20But as I'm on the seventies diet...
14:22We're obviously not going to eat that.
14:25There's a twist.
14:26I've got to cut it in half.
14:28I'm going to enjoy every single bit of it,
14:30and I've not had to cook it.
14:32Here's my 1970s portion,
14:34and it's going to be messy.
14:36Hang on.
14:37I feel so full up.
14:41I feel so, so very full up.
14:44It just goes to show,
14:46Seventy's chip shop servings were definitely enough food.
14:49Are you really hungry?
14:52I was hungry.
14:53I couldn't fit another chip in, Reg.
14:56Oh, one more won't hurt.
14:58I have indulged tonight,
15:00and I feel like I need a good walk to walk those off.
15:03But it's too dark out,
15:04so I'll have to make up for my steps in the morning.
15:08That takeaway has really made me think about how often I normally eat out
15:12compared to people back in the seventies.
15:14I absolutely dread to think how much I usually spend on it all.
15:18But anyway...
15:21I'm in West London to meet food historian Penn Vogler
15:24to find out why we eat so differently today.
15:27When did it all change?
15:29Did we suddenly get greedy?
15:30Or is food just easier to get hold of?
15:33She's offered to show me.
15:35Hello, Penn.
15:36Hi.
15:37Thank you for being to me.
15:38Great to meet you.
15:39Right.
15:40Why have you invited me to this corner?
15:42We are going to do a little experiment.
15:44We're going to walk from one post box to another,
15:46and we're just going to look at all the food shops around us.
15:49See how much times have actually changed.
15:51See just how easy it is to buy food.
15:54Right, let's give it a whirl.
15:57Penn and I are going to count how many takeaways, cafes and shops
16:01that we can spot on the short stretch of High Street.
16:03So we have one back there.
16:05And it looks like we might be spoilt for choice.
16:10Two.
16:11Yes.
16:12You do this side of the road, I'll do this side.
16:13Indeed.
16:14Can we just pass the pizza place?
16:16A cafe.
16:17Three.
16:18The 1970s was a turning point in takeaway food.
16:21A grocery store.
16:23Four.
16:24A sandwich shop.
16:25We've got a chicken shop here.
16:27American brands began to appear on the High Street,
16:30like McDonald's, which opened its first UK restaurant in 1974.
16:34Now there are close to 1,500 branches.
16:37Five.
16:38We've got a Korean street food.
16:40Eight.
16:41Food from all over the world became wildly popular at the start of the 70s,
16:46as nearly half a million people from countries like India and Jamaica
16:50joined the nation.
16:51That is a little Indian takeaway, isn't it?
16:53Britain had 2,000 Indian restaurants in 1970,
16:57and by the mid-'80s that number had doubled.
17:00I got about six, I think.
17:02You got 12.
17:03Today there are more than 50,000 takeaways in England alone,
17:07and we can have them delivered to our doors within minutes.
17:10We really do have everything at our fingertips.
17:1419.
17:15Restaurant on the corner in a pub?
17:17Yeah.
17:18In a bakery.
17:19Oh, there's the post box!
17:20Yeah, last way.
17:21Right.
17:22Well, I'm no Carol Borderman, but I make that 20.
17:24It's quite a short space of street, isn't it?
17:2620 food out there.
17:2824 hours a day, seven days a week.
17:30Because in the 70s, it wasn't even legal to open on a Sunday,
17:34and now we're surrounded by food in every area,
17:37every place, every hour of the day.
17:39Today, the average person gets around a quarter of their calories
17:42from food outside of the home,
17:44and with more than 1,100 calories
17:46in some of the most popular takeaway meals,
17:48it's no wonder all this choice is having a major impact on our waistlines.
17:53So the thing about takeaway food and foods we eat outside of the house
17:56is it's really easy for us to over-consume the calories.
17:59You know, they tend to be high in fat, added sugar, added salt.
18:03But in the 1970s, these foods would have been eaten very occasionally
18:07as part of a well-balanced diet.
18:09There's something else I want to show you.
18:11Shall we go and have a look?
18:12Oh, I'd love to! Yes!
18:16Look at that!
18:17Penn has brought me to the Museum of Brands,
18:19a time capsule of British nostalgia from the past 150 years.
18:24This place is incredible.
18:27She wants to show me how the way we ate at home
18:30also saw a major shift in the 70s.
18:32This cabinet from the 70s,
18:35which brings back lots of memories for me,
18:37which shows you why our food is changing
18:39and how it's, like, beginning to change at this particular moment.
18:43Look how tiny that pizza box is!
18:45I know!
18:46I don't think I've ever bought a pizza that small in my life.
18:49It's like a toddler portion.
18:50Most of this stuff looks tiny to us.
18:53Much smaller than you'd have now.
18:55So, Penn, why do you think all this convenience food took off?
18:59More women were going out to work,
19:02and the allure of having something quick, cheap, tasty
19:05to feed your kids was huge.
19:07There was a real focus on fast food being convenient.
19:12Nearly two million women joined the workforce in the 70s,
19:16and so the availability of convenience foods
19:19meant they could still put a hot meal on the table
19:21for their families with relative ease.
19:24The wonderful Delia Smith,
19:26her first book was 1971,
19:28How to Cheat at Cooking,
19:30because that's what people wanted to do,
19:32because they felt they had no time.
19:34Well, it's weird that I'm seeing a fray bentos,
19:37because I was brought up on those,
19:38but if I was to go round my nan's,
19:40you wouldn't find one of them in the cupboard.
19:42Oh, no way.
19:43No, she'd do it all from scratch.
19:44She'd make that from scratch.
19:45Yeah.
19:46There was this real thing about, you know,
19:48she's using smash and not peeling her own potatoes,
19:51and she's not really a proper housewife as she does that.
19:53Oh, right.
19:54Yeah.
19:55As the demand for convenience foods grew,
19:57so did the range of products
19:59and the need for the right appliance to store them in.
20:02So when did more people own, like, freezers then?
20:05In the 70s, people figure out how to make freezers
20:08that are cheap enough for domestic use.
20:10What an advantage to have a freezer
20:13so you don't have to go shopping every day.
20:15You can just stick it in the freezer.
20:17Suddenly we can eat ice cream whenever we want,
20:20and we did.
20:22Domestic freezers entered homes in the 70s
20:25and it was a game changer.
20:27Some stores decided they would sell the appliances
20:30alongside food, and it worked.
20:33In the 1970s, 100,000 freezers were sold
20:37and by 1974, one in ten households had the appliance.
20:44Another household gadget that changed our eating habits
20:47was the television.
20:48I remember that we were one of the first people
20:51to have a coloured TV in our neighbourhood,
20:54and a lot of our friends had very small TVs,
20:58and they were black and white.
20:59We had four options.
21:01So you didn't even get to pick what you watched?
21:03There would always be a Saturday night movie,
21:05so we would try to make sure that we had dinner done
21:07so that we could all sit down and watch the movie,
21:09because if you missed it, you missed it.
21:11So in America, you start to get these things called TV dinners,
21:17and we don't call them TV dinners here.
21:19I think we think that's not really quite posh enough.
21:21We call them ready meals,
21:23and you start to think it's kind of normal to sit around,
21:26just watch telly together.
21:27So it's a real rarity now, isn't it,
21:29to get round a table and eat with your family.
21:31It's only, like, Christmases and birthdays I can think of now.
21:33Income starts to go up as you start to get more TV,
21:36more TV advertising,
21:38and that has a huge impact on what people can eat.
21:42If you look at the top,
21:44all those Kellogg cereals, ricicles, ready bag,
21:47it's all aimed either at families or kids.
21:50This idea that kids can choose their own thing,
21:53and you get for the first time advertising
21:55that's really aimed at children,
21:57and they're seen as consumers,
21:59and this idea of pester power is born.
22:01I thought there were some of them in my cupboard.
22:03Aren't they the best?
22:05And they were so exciting in the 70s when they first came in,
22:09and we used to have such rows over the sweetest ones,
22:11and we'd give the ones with not enough sugar into my dad.
22:15As family meals shifted from the dinner table to our laps,
22:18so did advertisers' attention from parents to their children.
22:24TV adverts included cartoons,
22:26school children and catchy jingles to appeal to kids,
22:29and those kids started to push their wants
22:32onto the shopping basket.
22:34If you're a budge is just enough to give your kids a treat.
22:38Oh, I do remember convincing my mum to buy me those.
22:41Damn it, they got me too.
22:43And the other thing that you see is chocolate bars,
22:47crisp packets, and it's a sign that snacking
22:50is really beginning to take off in the 70s.
22:53Isn't it funny how our minds have changed,
22:55because I wouldn't dream of even leaving the house
22:57without any snacks for my little boy now.
22:59At my primary school, you weren't allowed to have sweets,
23:01and in my family, we had sweets once a week.
23:04You didn't have a tuck shop at primary school?
23:06No way. No.
23:07You're joking!
23:08Yeah, yeah, yeah.
23:09They gave you a school lunch, that was your food, you ate it.
23:12I used to run the tuck shop.
23:13As well as being able to buy more snacks and convenience food
23:19than ever before, the end of the 70s saw some food prices
23:23start to fall, and portion sizes start to grow.
23:26Food in the 70s was actually quite expensive,
23:28and since then, it's fallen a little bit in price,
23:31partly because manufacturers have found ways
23:33of making it more cheaply.
23:35And retailers are selling bigger and bigger portions
23:37as a way to win customers.
23:39And so, because we like a bargain,
23:41that's what we buy and that's what we end up eating.
23:44Today, that means many things that we buy
23:46are much bigger than their 70s equivalents.
23:49That's 39.
23:51The tailors have got it covered.
23:53They're comparing an average 1970s portion of chocolate.
23:57Oh, 45. Exactly.
23:59Well done.
24:00To the kind of portions we've become used to.
24:03So, this is a bar that you can buy today.
24:06Okay, so let's pop it on the scales.
24:08So, what does that say?
24:10362 grams.
24:12That's eight times bigger than what you could grab
24:14from a 1970s shop.
24:16Do you think you might be tempted to eat
24:18pretty much all of that?
24:19Well, if it's there, then you...
24:21You just keep eating it.
24:22Yeah.
24:23But I would eat most of it.
24:25I think if I was watching a movie
24:27and I start at the beginning of the movie,
24:29I think at the end...
24:31They wouldn't be any left.
24:33As human beings, it's really natural for us
24:37just to eat what's in front of us.
24:39And so, if we're given a really big portion of something,
24:42even if it says there's two servings,
24:44we'll still eat the whole thing.
24:46After meeting Penn,
24:47it's clear that many of the eating habits we have today
24:50actually started in the 1970s.
24:52In an ideal world, when we eat,
24:54we would listen to our body signals
24:56telling us when we're full and we've had enough.
24:58But what tends to happen is that
25:00with the portion sizes being much bigger,
25:02that then becomes our new norm.
25:04And then it's much more difficult then to override that.
25:09Oh, lovely.
25:10I do like a chicken kia.
25:12I've gotten quite used to eating three meals a day
25:14and even the smaller 70s portions,
25:17but will it make a difference?
25:19There's only the prawn cocktail.
25:21We'll see.
25:22But now my two-week diet is almost up
25:24and I'm thinking about how I should celebrate.
25:27I think it's only right that the Gibson
25:29throws a little 1970s party for everybody
25:32with 1970s food and 1970s drink.
25:37Don't hurt.
25:40Oh, here we go. Bloody hell.
25:42Last day of the diet.
25:43Snowball is going.
25:45I'm also just a day away from stepping back
25:47on the dreaded scales to see if this diet
25:49has had a positive impact on my body.
26:01I could not be more excited right now
26:03because it is the final day of the diet.
26:06I can finally have my life back.
26:10I'm just starting the day with an egg white omelette
26:13which is very fitting
26:15because this is how it all started
26:17with eggs for breakfast.
26:19Cheers, Helen.
26:20I can't wait to taste a bit of food
26:22with a little bit of spice in,
26:24some chillies, loads of flavour.
26:27Underneath it all, I'm nervous about my diet results.
26:30What if absolutely nothing has changed?
26:33My last bit of white bread.
26:36Yeah, I don't think I'll miss this.
26:39If there's one thing I do love about the 70s,
26:43maybe not the diet so much, but I do love the fashion.
26:46So I've come to a vintage store in Bristol's city centre
26:51to find an authentic 70s outfit.
26:54Have you got a 70s section?
26:56Yeah, it's just in the back corner over there.
27:01Oh, I love it.
27:02Just as I thought people in the 70s knew how to make a statement.
27:06I'm spoilt for a choice.
27:08It's cute.
27:17This is supposed to be a size 14.
27:20I thought that would fit me.
27:25Oh, no!
27:26It's nowhere near.
27:37Oh, I can't even breathe.
27:40The buttons won't even do up down the front.
27:44Look at that.
27:47Gaping holes everywhere.
27:49I'm not going to find my 70s outfit at this rate.
27:51None of it fits.
27:57It's like a workout trying to get any of it on.
28:00I can't get it off!
28:03Hello?
28:05Hello?
28:08Can somebody help me?
28:10Hi, are you OK?
28:12Not really, I think...
28:14I think I'm stuck in the dress.
28:16Let me give you a hand.
28:17I might have to be cut out of it.
28:19I am actually stuck.
28:22Either I've put on weight
28:23or there's something dodgy going on with the sizing around here.
28:27First thing that needs to come out is going to be the arms.
28:29Right, I can't get it off.
28:30It's all right, I've got you.
28:32I actually can.
28:33Yeah, you can do it.
28:35There you go, that's one.
28:37And then this is going to have to go over the top, OK?
28:39Oh, dear, I don't know how I've got it on.
28:40I feel like a child.
28:43Oh, the other one.
28:45Free!
28:46She's surprised.
28:48Thank goodness Zora came to the rescue.
28:52Like me, our families can't get enough of their 70s fashion.
28:56Everybody thinks it's a disco.
28:57Saturday Night Fever, glitter balls and platforms.
29:00I grew up with rock and roll.
29:02Loads of bright colours all merged into, like, one outfit.
29:05Everybody came out and went,
29:06Ooh, let's experiment.
29:07Big flares.
29:08That's kind of big hair as well.
29:10Afros.
29:11And those, like, shiny suits.
29:13Everyone had these bright little anoraks.
29:15I do remember there being a lot of, um, orange and brown.
29:19I can't actually remember wearing red trousers like that,
29:21but obviously I did.
29:22Suddenly my dad looks very strange.
29:25He's wearing this leather jacket and the moustache.
29:28Your jacket.
29:29And the hair, that long hair down to the collar.
29:31So, a lot of, um...
29:32Really colourful.
29:33..mispatching patterns, I think.
29:34Yeah, it looks like some grand mask curtains or something.
29:39It was a decade of funk, punk, and disco.
29:45Twiggy's slender frame was idolised in the 60s,
29:48and by the 70s, while body shapes were getting a bit curvier,
29:52athletic builds like Farrah Fawcett were still the dream.
29:57This was the dress that you've just tried on in the fitting room.
29:59It says size 14.
30:01However, because this dress is from the 1970s,
30:03the sizing is not the same as it would be in current-day sizing.
30:08I'm so glad you said that!
30:10So, if we take my tape measure,
30:13the waist for this dress would be a 26 to 28-inch waist,
30:19which would be a modern-day UK 8 to 10,
30:22instead of a modern-day UK 12 to 14.
30:25Well, no wonder it got stuck.
30:26I tried to get into a size 10 dress.
30:28So, sizing's changed a lot between the 1970s and now,
30:31so as people's lifestyles have changed
30:34and as people's habits have changed,
30:35clothes sizes have changed in order to go with it.
30:38So, is that kind of what vanity sizing is?
30:40People are taller than they used to be.
30:42The average weight is slightly different.
30:43That petite size that existed in the 1970s
30:45is a lot more petite
30:47than the average person is going to be today.
30:51As the body weight of the nation has increased,
30:53not to mention the rise in obesity,
30:55high street brands have made clothes bigger
30:58and adjusted their sizing to match.
31:03Vanity sizing is about making us feel good about our bodies
31:06because if the clothes make us feel smaller than we actually are,
31:10retailers hope we'll keep being happy to part with our hard-earned cash.
31:15So, this is a more modern-day size 14.
31:17OK.
31:19God, this is mad.
31:21This one is closer to a 30 to a 32-inch waist,
31:24which is probably a lot more similar to the kind of clothes
31:26that you're used to dealing with.
31:28So, that was a 32-inch waist, and what's the 1970s?
31:3126 to 28.
31:33That is a massive increase, isn't it?
31:35Yeah, absolutely, because so much has changed.
31:37I wonder if my size even existed in the 1970s.
31:41Oh, your size definitely existed.
31:43It's just what that size would have been called was different.
31:46Well, I do feel a little bit better now you've explained the sizes,
31:49so thank you.
31:50Well, what we always recommend in terms of vintage clothing
31:52is if it fits you and you like it, then wear it.
31:55Right, Zar, can you help me find something that does fit?
31:57Yeah, absolutely.
31:58So, we look at something like this one.
32:01That one is your size.
32:03Lovely.
32:04Try that little number on.
32:06Something like this.
32:08I do love the 70s fashion.
32:10Oh, you and me both.
32:11I was born in the wrong era, I think.
32:13Do you like that one?
32:14Do you think it's got enough give or not?
32:16That one I don't think probably...
32:17Okay.
32:18Feel free to try it on, but I think that one's probably got enough give.
32:20What about this one?
32:21Ooh, yeah, that is lovely.
32:23That one?
32:24No?
32:25Okay.
32:26It does look like it's made for a child.
32:38Right, I've bagged myself my party outfit and now my 70s diet is over.
32:54It's time to find out if there have been any changes to my weight,
32:57fitness levels and overall health.
33:00After the battles I've had in that changing room, I'm not too sure.
33:04So, after another set of blood tests,
33:08I'm back at Kingston University to see good old Dr James.
33:12Josie.
33:13Hello.
33:14How are you doing?
33:15The 1970s diet is over.
33:17Great.
33:18Now, how are you feeling after it?
33:19Well, do you know what?
33:21I still couldn't tell you whether it's a healthy diet or not.
33:23Well, let's see if it's made any changes to the measurements we made last time.
33:26All right.
33:27See how it's gone.
33:28Thank you very much.
33:29Surely something's got to have improved, right?
33:32Right?
33:34It's the end of my time-travelling 70s experiment.
33:45May I present?
33:46Chicken Kiev.
33:47And after two weeks of eating...
33:49I am having a fish paste sandwich.
33:51And exercising.
33:52It is an absolutely gorgeous day, so I might get my step count up.
33:56Go!
33:57Dr James is putting me through my paces once again to find out if my fitness has improved.
34:03I feel like this is a lot harder than last time.
34:06Going great, Gums.
34:07Yeah.
34:08Whoo!
34:09And I'm finding out what's been going on with my fat and muscle balance.
34:14Fantastic.
34:15You can step away.
34:16Great.
34:17What's the damage?
34:18So, pre-diet, or pre-intervention, we had you as a relative VO2 max predicted at 45.8 millilitres per kilogram per minute.
34:27What we can now see from your post-intervention, we're up to 47.3 millilitres per kilogram.
34:32What we see now is an increase in the amount of oxygen you can utilise when you're exercising by 1.5 millilitres per kilogram,
34:38which means you've actually potentially got that little bit fitter over the last couple of weeks.
34:43It's nice to just know that it's all scientifically proven that you're a bit of a machine.
34:49That's it. Yeah.
34:50You are.
34:51You are. Most definitely.
34:52So, it looks like I'm a bit fitter, but has my weight changed?
34:55In terms of your total body mass, there's been pretty much no change.
34:59I would have thought I'd lost, like, a pound or two pound or three pounds.
35:02I've been doing my 10,000 steps.
35:04That's fantastic.
35:05I've been doing my 20 minutes brisk walk in a day.
35:07That's great.
35:08And there's not one little change.
35:10What could be interesting, though, is if we go through your segmental analysis
35:13and see that breakdown of muscle mass and fat mass and where it's sitting in the body.
35:17So, we can see you're actually quite a muscular person, which is really good.
35:21The muscle is something.
35:25If I can just grab some other data out. Hold on a second.
35:29What we can see is your muscle mass in your legs has gone up by 0.1 kilos,
35:33but you've been a little bit more muscle in your legs.
35:35So, I've lost a little fat and gained a little muscle,
35:38which has kept my weight the same.
35:40It's probably down to all that walking.
35:43Having that increase in daily activity seems to be showing some beneficial effects.
35:47Oh, I've got a tiny, weeny bit.
35:49That's quite a substantial change for two weeks.
35:51Is it?
35:52Yeah, yeah.
35:53I'm so glad I kept up with the physical activity,
35:55because if I hadn't have done that, those stats would have been a lot higher.
35:59So, I think showing that it's not just a diet change we need,
36:01but it's a lifestyle change.
36:03Hopefully, that's more of an indicator of where you would go
36:06if you carried on with the exercise routine.
36:08You've done well.
36:09Thank you, me.
36:10So, I was hoping, you know, to come in two weeks later,
36:16and I'd be like, um, somewhat off Baywatch.
36:20But, sadly, that's not the case.
36:22Time for my final catch-up with Helen to go over my results
36:27and figure out if the 70s diet was all worth it in the end.
36:32Hello.
36:33Hello, Helen.
36:34How are you?
36:35Good, how are you?
36:36Yeah.
36:37Good, thank you.
36:38Pull up a pew.
36:39It's good to see you.
36:40You too.
36:41So, how have you got on?
36:43How's the diet been?
36:44Enjoy.
36:45Thanks.
36:46I'm glad I've got my life back.
36:47I could go out for meals, I could meet my friends.
36:49I'm not running out of the house with a little luncheon,
36:53a little lunchbox.
36:54I was, like, going to events with my, like, soups
36:57and everything like that.
36:58So, it has been a real eye-opener.
37:00What was the hardest part about the diet?
37:02Um, I think the hardest part about the diet
37:04was, um, being quite regimented with the times.
37:08You know, back then, they would have had a breakfast,
37:09dinner and tea.
37:10My life has got no routine whatsoever.
37:13So, that was really, really difficult.
37:15And, as well, spending that much time in the kitchen.
37:18And how about your appetite, your hunger levels?
37:20Not much.
37:21Because you've been having three meals a day.
37:23I was so full up.
37:24Because it was a lot more carb-heavy
37:26than what I would be used to.
37:27So, you actually found it was too much food?
37:29Yeah.
37:30That's really fascinating, isn't it?
37:31Yeah.
37:32And what about sleep?
37:33Well, because you told me to do the 20 minutes
37:35of brisk walking, and I always made sure
37:38that I did my 10,000 steps.
37:40Because in the 70s, they were so active.
37:42My sleep is the one thing I've conquered.
37:44Yeah.
37:45That's amazing.
37:46Yeah.
37:47And the deep sleep that I had was through the roof.
37:50I was more present with Reggie.
37:52Like, my little boy.
37:53And also thinking about, if you're not sleeping well,
37:55the impact that has on your eating habits
37:57and some of the hunger hormones that are involved
37:59in regulating your appetite, too.
38:01Yeah.
38:02Do you think that's something you're going to be able
38:03to keep up with in your normal life?
38:05Definitely.
38:06Yeah.
38:07So, should we take a look at the results of your blood test
38:09and tests you had done at Kingston?
38:10All right.
38:11All right.
38:12So, your weight stayed the same.
38:14All right.
38:16How do you feel about that?
38:18I was a bit devastated, I'll be honest.
38:20Remember that this wasn't a weight loss diet.
38:22But what's really interesting is you were actually feeling
38:24like there was too much food, and you maintained your weight.
38:28I think it's because I was so active.
38:31I took on the 1970s active housewife role,
38:35whereas we've got quite sedentary lives now.
38:38Yeah, and I think that's a really good point.
38:39You know, the 1970s diet that you've been on wasn't a diet,
38:42as we know the two cents of dieting these days.
38:44Yeah.
38:45It was a way of living, a way of eating.
38:47They didn't eat in excess, you know, the portions were well controlled,
38:50encompassed everything, you know, from lifestyle,
38:53from being more physically active, all of it.
38:55And I think that's the key.
38:56Yeah, it's true.
38:57And that brings me nicely onto the results of the body composition test.
39:00The muscle mass in your legs has increased.
39:03So underrated walking, isn't it?
39:05It is.
39:06And actually, it just goes to show that there's maximum benefit
39:08to be gained by increasing the levels of physical activity
39:10on a daily basis.
39:12Now for my blood test results.
39:14Has this diet made me any healthier?
39:16It's really interesting looking at your cholesterol profile.
39:19The really positive things we're seeing here
39:21are quite high levels of a HDL.
39:23So what does that mean for me?
39:25The HDL is what we call good cholesterol
39:27because it helps remove cholesterol from the bloodstream.
39:30It's interesting, isn't it?
39:31Because although, yeah, you've had butter and quite a high-fat diet,
39:35you've been having very minimal processed foods,
39:39low amounts of sugar, eating lots of vegetables as well
39:43and staying really active, which does have an impact on cholesterol.
39:48So with these sorts of blood test results,
39:51we would expect to see a reduction in your risk of heart disease and strokes.
39:54Ooh! That's good.
39:56Now the big one. What's going on with my gout?
39:59So really good news about your uric acid levels.
40:01They've now dropped down nicely and they're back within the normal range.
40:04How's the pain in your toes now?
40:07Gone. Totally, totally gone.
40:10It's really interesting that, you know,
40:11despite being on the 1970s diet, which does have some meat in it,
40:15your symptoms have actually now settled down,
40:17which suggests that overall it's quite a healthy, well-rounded diet.
40:20The levels of uric acid are still at the higher end of the normal range,
40:23so I definitely recommend speaking to your GP about it.
40:26Is there anything that you think you'll be taking forward
40:28from the 1970s food and lifestyle into your normal life?
40:32I think a newfound respect for people that lived through that era.
40:35They just got on with it.
40:37Every person I've spoken to, weirdly,
40:40they've all said that they've found happiness in the simple things.
40:44They didn't have the pressures of, like, you know, social media
40:46or trying to pin down a career.
40:49You know, life was so simple back then.
40:51You would slow down and take time to cook meals
40:53and do that in the family setting.
40:56It's really made me think about things.
40:58It's really, like, brought a lot of things home.
41:01I've realised being a woman, you know, right now,
41:04like, I want it all, but you've got to do it all.
41:07Yeah, definitely, and I think that comes at a cost.
41:10It comes down to our diet and our lifestyle and our health,
41:12doesn't it, really? Yeah, you're so right, yeah.
41:15I've really juggled with, like, you know,
41:17how I would be in the 70s.
41:19And even my auntie Virginia said I wouldn't last two minutes.
41:22Did she?
41:24You lasted two weeks. Yeah, lasted two weeks, yeah.
41:27You've proven her wrong. Yeah, yeah.
41:29Right, thank you for all your help, Helen.
41:31Here's a big cheers to the 1970s. Cheers!
41:34Here's to muscly legs.
41:36So, my 70s diet is finally over
41:39and the results are in.
41:41I can't tell you how relieved I am
41:46that I've got rid of that gout.
41:48I can just about manage one more spin around my kitchen
41:52to make a classic culinary sensation for my party guests.
41:56We never had a party in our family
41:58without choosing pineapple sticks, ever.
42:00It's the chance to thank the people
42:02who have helped me with my experiment.
42:04Well, let's start with the eyes.
42:06Oh, God.
42:07It's too small.
42:10Oh, no.
42:12And reflect on what I discovered.
42:14I'm not playing the, you know, the violin,
42:16but when I was growing up, there wasn't a lot around.
42:18I was one of six.
42:19So, I think I try to make up for it now.
42:21And I've really spoiled myself.
42:23When it comes to clothes, when it comes to food,
42:25when it comes to my home,
42:27it actually doesn't look too bad.
42:29That looks like a hedgehog, doesn't it?
42:31I've found the perfect house.
42:37Laid on a delectable 70s buffet.
42:39There you go.
42:40Look at this incredible spread I created.
42:44If you believe that, you'll believe anything.
42:46Now, where's my guests?
42:50What do you think?
42:51Oh, this is great, Jess.
42:53Oh, look at the food.
42:55I know.
42:56The only thing that hasn't gone to plan, really,
42:58is my meat jelly.
43:00It's gone a bit floppy.
43:02Yeah.
43:03What happens at the end of the night, isn't it?
43:05It turns out Ginny, in her 70s generation,
43:08did have a few things to teach me.
43:10We better not drink any more.
43:12Well, just have this bit.
43:13All right, you're out.
43:14Bloody hell.
43:15About the value of good basic food.
43:17Hey, work.
43:19I'm going to cook that tonight.
43:21There's something really lovely about growing your own, yeah.
43:23And do you know what?
43:24When I move and I've got a garden, I might have a little go at it myself.
43:28Keeping active.
43:29You lot have done enough aerobics that you could deserve a slice of the lemon meringue pie and some trifle as well.
43:35Excellent!
43:36I really enjoy getting to know my body again and becoming a lot more active.
43:41I'm not just going to get in my car, no matter rain, hail or sunshine, just for those tiny short journeys anymore.
43:49And trying to eat a bit more moderately.
43:512025 Porsche.
43:53Well, almost.
43:54But it turns out that the 70s also shaped the way we eat today.
43:58Snacking is really beginning to take off in the 70s.
44:02So, though in some ways the 70s was healthier, it was also the decade that saw us start to tip the scales.
44:09It's been a huge success.
44:10Which makes you think, everything in moderation, including eating like it's the 70s.
44:16I never realised how good trifle was at a party.
44:18So, from my fellow time travelling families and me, here's to the 1970s!
44:25Cheers!
44:27Cheers!
44:28Cheers!
44:29Cheers!
44:30Cheers!
44:31Cheers!
44:36After bombshell revelations came a courtroom drama that gripped the world.
44:40Go inside the trial of Michael Jackson, new at nine.
44:43After a trip to Spain, you thought you knew.
44:47Michael Portillo explores gems off the tourist trail in Barcelona as his new series starts next.
45:01The next two, five minutes later.
45:04To be continued...
45:18Now go inside.
45:20Today had fun.
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