A man from Rhode Island has credited Chick-fil-A with saving his life after losing 132 pounds by eating the fast-food chain’s Spicy Southwest Salad for lunch every day for over a year.
Tom Carroll, a 6′ 2″ digital content producer at a Boston radio station, began his weight loss journey in July 2023. It started after he stepped on a scale following a wedding in Syracuse and saw that he weighed 360 pounds.
“I had never seen it so high,” Carroll wrote in his essay titled “Chick-fil-A Saved My Life.” “But if I’m being completely honest with myself, it had probably been higher at various points that summer. I never would have known, because that was the first time I had stepped on a scale since the fall of 2019.”
Carroll, 34, recalled the last time he had weighed himself was at a doctor’s visit years earlier, when a nurse made a pointed comment about his health.
“The nurse at my new doctor’s office told me I was 346 pounds,” Carroll wrote. “‘That’s good eatin’!’ I joked with her.” “Until it ain’t,” the nurse allegedly replied.
“I didn’t ask for a clarification, obviously – had internally died on impact as soon as she said it,” Carroll admitted.
After that uncomfortable visit, he avoided the doctor and resolved to change his eating habits. But his real commitment to Chick-fil-A didn’t begin until Black Friday 2023, when he experienced what felt like a heart attack while eating Thanksgiving leftovers with his wife and friends.
“I had never felt anything like it before, and I hope to never feel anything like it again,” he wrote. “This was the closest I have ever felt to death.”
According to Today, Carroll’s daily lunch included mixed greens, tomatoes, roasted corn, black beans, chiles, red bell peppers, cheese, and grilled chicken—totaling 680 calories with tortilla strips, pepitas, and creamy salsa dressing.
“It was awful,” Carroll said of his weight before the diet change. “Going up and down stairs was an issue. … Sitting on an airplane and getting a seat belt put on was an absolute challenge. Finding clothes that fit and feeling good when you dress up wasn’t fun.”
He often recreated the salad at home for dinner and made sure to stock up on extras when the restaurant was closed on Sundays.
“This has been the pillar meal for me each and every day and is what I attribute the bulk of my success to,” Carroll wrote.
His other meals were typically light—just yogurt and fruit for breakfast, when he didn’t skip it entirely.
In addition to his diet, Carroll began exercising regularly and cut out soda and sports drinks. He also gave up alcohol, which he said not only added unnecessary calories but also encouraged him to eat poorly.
By December 2023, Carroll had dropped below 300 pounds, and by July 2024, his weight was down to 228 pounds.
He has managed to keep the weight off.