In these times of record-setting childhood obesity numbers, Cesar Ramirez’s story serves as an inspiration to other area youths.

Ever since the Rogers High School freshman decided to lose weight two years ago, he has lost 60 pounds, joined a fitness club, started winning power lifting contests — and has gained a whole lot of self-confidence.

Anytime Fitness owner Doug La-Fleur compares the young man to someone straight out of Hollywood.

“Cesar’s story reminds me of ‘Rocky,’” said LaFleur, who opened Anytime Fitness, 1851 44th St. SW in Wyoming last fall. “He wanted to lose weight, and he went out and did something about it. He would put a plastic bag on, then put a sweater over it and go running through the park.”

He said teenagers like Ramirez are rare because they don’t have the confidence to make lifestyle changes, and the task of finding the necessary information can seem overwhelming.

“What I’m often telling my own kids is to feel comfortable being uncomfortable,” LaFleur said. “He had to feel awfully uncomfortable entering a contest. He had to feel uncomfortable coming into the gym for the first time, but he kept showing up. He was willing to take a risk. He wasn’t afraid to fail.”

Even more impressive is that Ramirez decided all on his own to turn around his life. There was no trainer named Mickey from “Rocky” screaming in his ear for the famous Sylvestor Stallone Rocky character to chase the chickens around a vacant lot.

“What happened was that he wanted to play soccer when he was in the seventh grade,” said his mother, Maria Ramirez. “But he was overweight, so he started running every day. He would go running in the park, and he stopped eating all kinds of junk food and drinking soda pop.”

Ramirez, who is 5-foot-3, 135 pounds, participated in the American Drug Free Power Lifting Federation National Championships this winter at Lansing Community College. It was the second tournament he entered, and not only did Ramirez win the 14-15 age group in the dead lift competition, but his lift of 308 pounds set a federation record.

LaFleur said he was stunned to hear what Ramirez had accomplish in Lansing, considering he only started lifting weights five months earlier.

So was Ramirez.

“I didn’t think I was going to win,” Ramirez said. “A friend of mine, Juan Gomez, showed me a sheet from last year’s meet, and he said, ‘You can beat this.’

“I just trained hard and came to the gym every day. You just can’t come in and lift. You have to learn techniques, too.”

Ramirez also is a wrestler, and classmates, Gomez and Eduardo Bautista, encouraged him to start lifting weights. That’s why he joined Anytime Fitness soon after it opened in his neighborhood. It turned out weight lifting proved to be a sport all in itself.

“Honestly, no, I didn’t think he was going to be this good at it in the beginning,” Gomez said. “But when he says he wants something, he goes out and gets it. He’s dedicated, and I admire him for that. I am not as dedicated as him. We take a break to rest, but he keeps going at it.”

E-mail the author of this story: yourlife@grpress.com