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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  CC grad and Dad among 'The Biggest Losers'

by Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published July 31, 2009

Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic Mike and Ron Morelli at Mike’s high school graduation in the spring of 2008.

South Lyon - Whenever Ron Morelli climbed up on the scale during the 17 weeks he was at the ranch, starring in the seventh season of NBC's hit reality show "The Biggest Loser," he'd grab the black sweatband he wore on his wrist with his other hand.

Inside that band was where he kept his religious medals while dieting and exercising - and ultimately losing 192 of his 430 pounds - to give him comfort as the scale told him whether he and his son, Mike, had lost enough weight to be safe from elimination from the show. "I carried these with me all the time," he said.

Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic Ron Morelli carried religious memorabilia of My Mother, My Confidence, Fr. Solanus Casey, St. Joseph and St. Anne in the wristband wore on the set of “The Biggest Loser.”

Now, the medals - St. Joseph, Fr. Solanus Casey, OFM Cap., St. Anne, and one of My Mother, My Confidence - are in their usual spot, his wallet. And after what he called a "honeymoon" phase of public appearances and talk-show circuits, Ron, 55, and Mike, 19, members of St. Joseph Parish, South Lyon, are adjusting to a new normal of healthy living after years of being unhealthily overweight.

Ron Morelli's new routine includes going for a walk every morning and some afternoons, and watching what he eats. He doesn't crave fast-food restaurants anymore, either; although the men were on the Biggest Loser ranch during Lent and missed the requisite fish fries, having one upon their return didn't taste nearly as good as he remembered, he said.

His big project is trying to put together a coalition of hospitals, politicians and people in the health and fitness industry. "Since the show, we've been very active in trying to get the word out on childhood obesity," he said. "Maybe that's why I'm on the planet - to help other people."

Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic Ron Morelli enjoys walks through his neighborhood to maintain his weight loss. Mike Morelli runs in the mornings and lifts weights in the evenings.

Mike Morelli, who went from 388 to 192 pounds on the show, has a new routine of running six to eight miles every morning with a group and lifting weights every night with a friend. He's biding his time until he returns to school, Michigan State University, where he'll re-enroll as a freshman. (He withdrew last year shortly after the semester started when he learned he'd be on the show.) He'll be learning athletic training in the pre-med program, possibly pursuing a career in sports medicine.

He said he's not afraid of the "freshman 15," the typical first-year college weight gain, because due to his course of study all of his classes are in the gym. He hopes his own experience will help him in his profession - as many times children don't listen to their parents - and he knows he has the determination to get through medical school.

"I'll apply that to every aspect of my life with the same vigor and tenacity that helped me lose weight," he said.

Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic Over their time on “The Biggest Loser,” Mike Morelli lost 207 pounds and Ron Morelli lost 192 pounds.

The Morellis agreed that since their faith plays such an integral part of both their lives, it was natural that it also came to the weight-loss ranch. The show started with 11 couples, many of them Catholic, so the large group was too big to take to church inconspicuously; however, as more and more people got eliminated, they attended Mass at Our Lady of Malibu Parish in Malibu, Calif., near the ranch.

"I put so much into my faith anyway," Ron Morelli said. "I think God is always there, waiting for me."

Mike Morelli agreed: "I never didn't believe God was there," he said. "He's always affecting my life, and affecting every outcome."

A 2008 graduate of Detroit Catholic Central, Novi and former student at Our Lady of Victory Parish, Northville, Mike Morelli said he'd pray to St. Michael the Archangel before challenges, when players competed in physical or mental trials for prizes. The month before the final weigh-in, during which players returned home, he was so stressed he'd often pull into a church parking lot and pray there.

Ron Morelli is also a Catholic school alumni; he attended grade school at St. Bede Parish, Southfield (now a part of Transfiguration Parish). He serves on South Lyon's city council and works as a substitute bus driver, and had worked in the food industry previously. His wife, Becky, appeared on a few episodes.

Neither man won money from the show - top prize was $250,000 (Helen Phillips, of Sterling Heights), and the eliminated at-home winner took home $100,000 - but what was important to Ron Morelli was Mike's success and how they could help other people, he said. "I tried to take everything out of his way so all he had to do was work out and not worry about mind games," Ron Morelli said. "I could be there for him for mental support and moral support. That's what I was going to do. My son came first."

To him, winning meant gaining the knowledge to lose weight. "It was a life-changing experience," he said. "It wasn't life-changing money."

Something Ron Morelli had to consider was his health and the fact that he was older than most everyone else on the show, which accounted for him being perceived as a bit manipulative. "Even in my best health, they should be able to run circles around me," he said of the other contestants. "I had to use my brains."

Mike Morelli rolls his eyes when asked if he now gets more attention from girls; the only ones who like him, he said, are 11 years old. The pair often runs into fans during their daily routines, and Mike Morelli has been known to slip away, call his father on his cell phone, and ask him if the people have gone.

"As long as they get to (my father) first, I'm gone," he said. "Everyone's nice, though."

Ron Morelli said he's maintained his weight loss since the show - something he's never been able to do before - and eventually wants to lose another 30 or 40 pounds. Mike Morelli has gained a bit of weight back since the finale, as his doctor thought he was too thin, and is now working to build muscle. Ron's other son and Mike's brother, Max, who also appeared on the show several times, is down 65 pounds, Ron Morelli said.

Ron Morelli, who is lighter now than when he was 14, and once reached 527 pounds, said he'll never go back to being that heavy now that he knows what it's like to have been 200 pounds lighter. Now he fits into a restaurant booth and his friends' cars, and can mingle at parties instead of leaning against the wall.

Mike Morelli said what's been the coolest thing for him is being able to keep up with his athletic friends. "I'm not tired after the first game of basketball," he said. "I'm not tired after the fourth game. I'm now a normal teenager."

At a recent fitness expo in Boston, Ron Morelli said it was amazing how many people came there just to see them, and often share their own stories about losing weight. "It's a bigger thing than 'us,'" he said. "Look at the lives we're changing. That's where you really know you're making a difference."