WHAT LIFE AHEAD COMPUTES
Getting Started - and the Demo: A demo program that includes rather average health factors and a variety of diets for US men and women of age 50 will illustrate various Life Ahead results. But because results for habit differences can vary much for different individuals, it is necessary for each individual to enter up to the 120 different health factors provided for in program entry screens. Most of these entries will be easy for most program users, and once entered only occasional revisions of these entries will be needed later. But an entry of all available information on serum cholesterol values during past years can improve forecasts. An estimate of cardiofitness will be made from exercise, but use of one or more of the suggested measurements of actual cardiofitness will improve forecasts further. New or revised entries always can be made easily at any time and new results computed. The program assumes average population values at age for any entry omitted.
The program will estimate results with or without a diet entry. But the diet entry provides a most potentially important use of the program. View the vastly different health outlooks in Well-Days for using the weekly Demo diets #1 (average), #2 (good), and #3 (poor). A daily diet can be entered quite easily. But health values of different daily diets can vary widely. It is best to enter a most usual diet for a past week as a first diet entry. Or this can be made as seven daily entries. Life Ahead can add up and average any number of past consecutive diet entries, either daily or weekly. Once a diet entry is completed, new diets can be entered readily by first loading a previous diet and just changing foods eaten differently in a next time period.
More on how to use the Program' is described further at the program start.. A first or top program option provides for entering information into the program and saving it, a second option enters or displays results on a new or past diet, a third accesses the exercise and fitness entries directly, and a fourth computes directly results of factors presently entered into the program.- but without a diet entry. Program results can be computed from most entry screens if only one or a few entries are changed but results will not be saved until a display exits.
It is best to first start by exploring use of the DEMO program. This is a fully operating program for average men and women of age 50 that includes 11 different diet options. The DEMO at start includes no diet supplements. Page through the first or top option to view the 9 or 10 entry screens. These are items you will need to complete during your first actual program entry. But do not make any entries into the demo program. The demo lists very few of these values and thus assumes average population values for most entries. Then try the 2nd or Diet entry and ask to 'View Previously Entered Diets.' Enter 1 for a weekly entry to select an average US weekly diet and press 'Continue.' This will bring up the foods in this diet. You can view the foods for each meal by pressing the meal tabs. Then exit the meal display with 'Entries Done' and ask to view the Analysis of diet. The successive displays will show diet calories, fats, vitamins, and minerals. A Sort display will show that permits either diet or the diet library foods to be sorted in order of calories or most other included nutrients. A next display will show factors that need improvement. Ask to 'Compute the Results Now' and the Result screen will display.
Life Ahead first computes a likely incidence of death from each of twelve included disease and other groups at each age of life, and computes an annual life table for each year of life. The program obtains a life expectancy, and sends this to a Well-Days routine. This in turn subtracts from life expectancy an estimated number of days Not Well due to the various diseases assigned by the program as likely from given habits. An assumption here is that days Not Well are days are of little or even negative value to living. Risks during two year ahead periods, usually 10 and 20 years, will show for heart disease, stroke, and cancer. But a more complete listing will display from the option 'Complete listing'. And if desired, risks of disease can be recomputed for any two future years desired that are below life expectancy.
Life Ahead next computes what the specific program user could do to improve future health. These health goals are those most people should be able to achieve. For example, a goal for total cholesterol is set as one probably achievable by good dietary habits. For a person with high cholesterol this practical target may be less beneficial than one often proposed as some “general target for all people” as for example 190. A cardiofitness target is often taken as a 115-120 HEF level achievable from a very good brisk and monitored walking program or from moderate higher level cardio program. In contrast an extensive cardiofitness program can produce a 140 HEF on most people. Diet targets also are those potentially achievable over time without great deprivation.
The program then computes a new result using the usually lower risks of disease for with the better habits. The Result Display that appears when Compute option is asked lists the Well Days most likely for an average population having the habits and age of the entrant, and the additional Well-Days and years potential for the adoption of the so-called ‘Good” habits starting at present age and continuing for life. More detail by specific disease as heart disease and some causes of cancer can be displayed to show how risks of these diseases will be improved by better habits, and the extent to which these better habits can improve results
You now can display the Life Ahead's most important and fascinating information. The ‘Actions Needed for More Well Days’ tab displays the specific actions needed to obtain your specific ‘Good Habits’ result, and the benefits in Well-Days potential for each action. This will show in order those things you can do that will produce the largest improvement in long range health. If you do not enter a diet, this analysis will show the other factors, but will not reveal the contribution of diet. Thus it is best to view this option for yourself after both all possible factors are entered into the 9 or 10 entry screens and a diet has been entered. But you can do the analysis from the DEMO to see how it works. Most people will find that the most important things they can do are to improve cardiofitness and improve diet. If you are very fit, of course, the cardiofitness entry many be small or may not appear.
But if you do enter a diet, or did using the DEMO, you will have a further option to ask for a 'Diet Analysis.' Be sure to access this option. This will compare key nutrient factors in your diet with healthful goals, and show an estimate of the Well-Days potential for improving each factor to goals. Some diet factors are considered by group. Fats and Fiber produce cholesterol and atherosclerosis, and only a total Well-Days potential for this group is noted The value shown is that for improving nutrients in this group that are more or less than their targets. Similarly, the Well-Days potential for improving the four included antioxidants are given for the group because the maximum benefit from these has an assumed limiting potential. All nutrient goals are adjusted for sex and body weight.
Life Ahead now Can Compute a Probable Well-Days of Life for Changing nearly any Health Habit: You can view how different diets produce different results by going back to Diet selection. See the "More Healthful Diets" for more on this. You can go back and enter or subtract any amount of any diet supplement and view the change in risk if any that this addition will produce. You can go back to the diet entry screen and add or subtract any specific food eaten daily or for any number to days per week and see how doing this could change outlook for Well-Days. You can go back to the exercise entries and enter any change in exercise, as more or less of walking, jogging, sports, or weights, or doing these more or less vigorously. Women can go back to the female entries and test the effect of taking or not taking different female hormones, or of using mammograms. An enormous variety of possible explorations can be made of differing health factors. Keep in mind that results for all habit changes assume that these changes will be made for entire rest of life. Shorter term changes in heath factors will produce far lesser changes in benefit.
Life Ahead will produce an entirely new year by year lifecycle computation of results starting from present age involving tens of thousands of computations each time any factor is changed. The results for a given change in a health factor can differ substantially for different people having differing overall risks. For example a diet change healthful for one person may not be healthful for another. Effects of food changes in diet can depend importantly on amounts of various dietary supplements used. The Life Ahead BioChemical method identifies everyone as a different and specific individual. Those very fit will obtain lesser health benefits from diet and other changes. Those having high family risks usually achieve more benefit from health improvements than those average, but this not always will be true. When making a new change in habits, be sure to remove any previous change or you will value a change of the combination of habits made. Or simply go back to the entry screen, click the reset option, recomputed some previous result, and then change the single factor wanted.
As you enter a revised habit, the change in Well-Days from the first result produced will display. This can sum results of multiple habit changes if desired. But may be best to value changes individually. To do this, go back and change back a previous habit change to eliminate this, re-compute, and enter just the new habit to change. Or you can go back to the original entry screen, press the reset option to cancel results of any previous habit changes, recalculate the original entry, and try new options for habit changes.
See More Well-Days from LifeAhead and More Healthful Diets from Life ahead for more about how to achieve many more Well-Days of life!