Adherence

An intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) involving caloric restriction and physical activity improves preference-based health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in individuals with type 2 diabetes, but this improvement is statistically significant and clinically relevant primarily in the short term (first year), with long-term effects being small, inconsistent across measurement instruments, and often failing to reach minimally important difference (MID) thresholds.

If you have type 2 diabetes, an intensive lifestyle program focusing on diet and exercise will likely improve how you feel about your health, especially in the first year. However, expect the benefits to plateau and become smaller over time. To maintain any quality of life gains, you must actively work to prevent weight regain, as the study shows that compliance drops and weight is regained after the first year, eroding these benefits.