Mother and son from Bartlett star in new season of 'Biggest Loser'

This season of "The Biggest Loser" will feature the heaviest and most out-of-shape contestants ever to appear on the show - and they're a mother and son from Bartlett.

Maria and Michael Ventrella say a sedate suburban lifestyle and a weakness for fattening Italian foods led them to pack on the pounds.

"Pizza's my kryptonite," says Michael, 31, a deejay who tipped the scales at 526 pounds and wore a size 58 when the show started taping in September. "It's also because I have no discipline, no portion control and no time for myself."

His teammate will be his mother, Maria, 52, whose starting weight is 281 pounds. The show's physician, Dr. Rob Huizenga, told her she's one of the most out-of-shape contestants he's ever seen.

"I never exercise. There was so much on me that I didn't have time to myself. That's how the weight kept creeping on me," said Maria, a full-time corporate travel agent, mother of three, and the primary caregiver for her wheelchair-bound mother. "You feel guilt if you take care of yourself over other people."

While many people in their large Italian family also struggle with their weight, Michael's had issues since the day he was born - weighing 10 pounds, 14 ounces.

"He would drink 8 ounces of milk at one-week old. He was born hungry, and he grew up to be a chunky kid," his mother said.

Growing up in Carol Stream, Michael continued to battle his weight during his teen years at Glenbard North High School. His friends used to tell him they could hear him breathing, and he found himself laughing it off or acting defensive.

"Anyone that size is not happy with the quality of their life," he said. "It got to the point where I had one pair of jeans, one pair of shorts and everything else was sweats. Nothing fit."

He packed on even more weight when he started deejaying private parties and keeping late hours. After work, he'd be hungry but there weren't many dining options.

"The only place that's open in the suburbs really late is Denny's or McDonald's. If it's the only food I have access to, what am I supposed to do? I'm tired ... and there's not a 24-hour Subway," he said. "In the suburbs, we drive around looking for a parking space that's closer to the door so we don't have to walk."

The Ventrellas are two of the 22 contestants on Season 9, which debuts Tuesday, Jan. 5, on NBC. They were selected from thousands of potential contestants and are spending time at "the ranch" in Utah, where their diet will be monitored and they'll work out for hours every day with trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels.

They describe Jillian as having "the biggest heart, off-camera" and Bob as being "adorable." Michael and Bob clicked immediately, as if they were old friends.

While the Ventrellas aren't allowed to talk about what happened on the ranch, or how much weight they've lost, they say the show's been a life-changing experience. During a phone interview last week, Michael talked about how to make healthy quesadillas. Maria said she now understands the importance of making time for yourself, and now knows how to prepare Italian dishes with fewer calories without sacrificing taste.

Their family members have been so inspired by the changes in them that many of them lost weight as well.

"I think people look at us and say, 'If you can do it, I can do it,'" Maria said.

The Ventrellas say this season of "The Biggest Loser" will be intense and packed with far more drama then they had last season.

"Get a big box of Kleenex," Maria said.