US Man Loses 60 Kg By Eating A Chick-fil-A Salad Every Day For A Year

A Rhode Island man reports losing 132 pounds, crediting his daily Chick-fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad lunch, the New York Post reported. 

Tom Carroll, a 6' 2" digital content producer at a Boston radio station, began his weight loss journey in July 2023. The turning point came after attending a wedding in Syracuse, where he stepped on a scale and was shocked to see it read 360 pounds (163 Kg).

"I had never seen it so high," Carroll shared in his essay titled "Chick-fil-A Saved My Life." "But if I'm being honest, it had likely been even higher at times that summer. I wouldn't have known though-this was the first time I'd weighed myself since fall 2019."

Carroll, 34, remembered the last time he'd stepped on a scale- during a doctor's visit years earlier. The nurse had commented on his weight.

"She told me I was 346 pounds," he wrote. "'That's good eatin'!' I joked. 'Until it ain't,' she shot back."

"I didn't ask her to explain," he admitted. "I basically died inside the moment she said it."

After that uncomfortable encounter, Carroll avoided medical visits and tried to change his diet. But his true wake-up call came on Black Friday 2023 when he felt what he described as a near-heart attack while eating Thanksgiving leftovers with his wife and friends.

"I had never experienced anything like it, and I hope I never do again," he wrote. "It was the closest I've ever felt to dying."

As reported by Today, Carroll's typical lunch became a Chick-fil-A salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, roasted corn, black beans, chiles, red bell peppers, cheese, grilled chicken, and toppings like tortilla strips, pepitas, and creamy salsa dressing-around 680 calories.

"I felt miserable before changing my diet," Carroll recalled. "Stairs were difficult. Airplane seat belts were a struggle. Dressing up and finding clothes that fit wasn't enjoyable."

He often recreated the salad at home for dinner, even buying extras in advance for Sundays when Chick-fil-A is closed.

"This meal became my daily staple-and I credit most of my progress to it," he said.

His other meals were light- usually just yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, when he didn't skip it.

Alongside his new eating habits, Carroll began exercising regularly, cutting out soda, sports drinks, and alcohol-which he said not only added unnecessary calories but also led to unhealthy food choices.

By December 2023, he had dropped below 300 pounds. By July 2024, his weight had gone down to 228 pounds-and he's managed to maintain it since.