Sparty Winner – Opinion & Entertainment Coverage
Quinn Stifler from Portage Northern HS:
Mike Morelli doesn’t feel like he was just “put on earth to take up space,” and he’s certainly doing something about minimizing the space he takes up. At the age of 18, Mike went from 388 lbs. to 181 lbs. on the reality show, The Biggest Loser.
“I didn’t need ‘Mike Morelli – Biggest Loser’ to be something that defines me,” said Morelli in his motivational speech for the MIPA Summer Workshop members.
Morelli got his wish – he came in second place in the competition and now is only defined by himself.
Not only was Morelli’s weight loss intense, so is his story. On his way to McDonald’s for work, Morelli heard a casting call on the radio for The Biggest Loser, but brushed it off. After encouragement from his family, Morelli and his father, Ron, were soon in California and spending nine months on “the ranch.”
During his stay, Mike Morelli fought a personal battle constantly.
“Can I do this?” he wondered. “Is it possible?” He now admits that he “wasn’t sure if [he] was ready to change.”
“I thank God every day now,” Morelli said.
Not only has Morelli been an inspiration for the millions of Biggest Loser viewers, but he and his father have inspired Morelli’s brother, Max, to lose 88 lbs. since the show ended. Their father, Ron, is happy to have “end[ed] obesity in [their] family for good.”
This fall, Mike Morelli will be a Freshman at Michigan State University. He has reinvented himself, but “[his] plan is still the same.” He intends to continue to give kindness to others, and eventually become a medical student.
