Biggest Loser runner-up inspires students
The Biggest Loser runner-up Mike Morelli shared his story and answered questions at a press conference Monday night for students at the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association Summer Journalism Workshop.
As the youngest competitor in the show’s history, Morelli dropped a total of 207 pounds, setting a record for the most weight ever lost on The Biggest Loser.
“My brother and I never had a chance growing up to be healthy and thin,” Morelli said. “I had to really examine my life. I found I didn’t have a future. I had no quality of life. I wasn’t living, I was existing.”
Although going from 388 to 181 pounds was a major life change, Morelli also had a mental makeover.
“I hated myself, essentially. I hated myself but I wouldn’t change. My self-esteem was below zero,” he said. “I have to embrace who I was because that will always be a part of me. I’m truly happy with myself right now.”
Morelli’s journey inspired many who attended the event.
“It’s more than just someone who lost a lot of weight,” sophomore Kristina Pouliot from Novi High School said. “It’s more than that. It definitely shows for anybody that if he can do it, anyone can do it.”
Morelli also emphasized his inspirational message, encouraging the students to transform their own lives.
“Exam yourself and try making a little change for a better you, a better world, a better community,” he said. “We all have the capacity to change, the problem is we just don’t do it.
“Change something now, change something today and I guarantee you’ll be a happier person.”
