Secondary hypotheses are that the pre-pregnancy lifestyle intervention (vs. educational control group) will result in improved maternal fasting glucose and biomarkers of insulin resistance (insulin, leptin, TNF-alpha, C-reactive protein, and adiponectin) and CVD risk (lipids and blood pressure) assessed before pregnancy, after 16 weeks of intervention, and at 26 weeks’ gestation. This evidence concerns the gene TNF and Insulin resistance.