Mayra Rosales, from Texas, said she had given up on life when she decided to protect her sister Jamie and take the blame for the death of her nephew Eliseo in 2008.
Rosales, aged 34, told police she had smothered the child by rolling on top of him, a claim later disproved when autopsy results revealed the boy had died from multiple injuries to his skull.
After her sister Jamie confessed to the crime and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Mayra vowed to get healthier to take care of her sister's surviving children.
Miss Rosales decided to turn her life around and since 2011 has been shedding hundreds of pounds.
She lost weight with the help of 11 surgeries, including a lap band surgery and extra skin removal procedures. She has also changed the way she thought about food, she told ABC 13.
"Food to me is I have to eat to live. Before it was living to eat, and now you know, it's just something normal," she said.
Houston surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan said he could see Rosales was driven to make a change.
"Once you're in bed for several years, she had no life. Once she get up and walk and do things, you'll be amazed how motivated people become," he said.
After her trial, Rosales immediately began around the clock treatment with Dr. Nowzaradan.
She lost 100 pounds in her first 10 days. Rosales would have to lose 500 more just to get gastric bypass surgery.
The newly slimmed down Rosales hasn't just seen a major change in her appearance. Her health has drastically improved as well.
"I'm not diabetic, I do not have high cholesterol, I do not have high blood pressure. Now I'm okay and my organs are perfect," she told ABC's Nightline.
Rosales now has an active following on Facebook with over 27,000 fans, who she keeps updated as her transformation continues.She recently posted photographs smiling with a new boyfriend.
