Latest news with #SpicySouthwestSalad
Fox News
23-04-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Chick-fil-A food and employees helped man lose weight and change his life
Chest pains — plus a concern for his weight and health — prompted a Rhode Island man to take a wellness journey that he said saved his life. The unlikely rescuer? A Chick-fil-A salad. "I knew I needed to make a change," Tom Carroll, 32, a digital content producer from Lincoln, Rhode Island, told Fox News Digital. At 360 pounds, Carroll had tried and failed to change his diet and lifestyle. But after Thanksgiving 2023, he had "the most serious chest pain" he'd ever experienced. "I knew that was a moment where I couldn't mess around anymore," he said. "I needed to buckle down and take this seriously." A few days later, Carroll's wife, Morgan, decided to pick up Chick-fil-A for dinner and asked her husband for his order. His surprising answer was a Spicy Southwest Salad. "Unbeknownst to her, I had made this promise to myself that I was going to go on this health journey and take it seriously," Carroll said. "I hadn't talked to anyone about my chest pains or my desire to lose weight, which, in hindsight, I regret. I just asked her to pick me up one of those salads." Something clicked. "This salad was delicious," he said. "I've always liked something a little spicier and I love Mexican food. This has all those Tex-Mex elements." The salad has grilled spicy chicken breast on mixed greens and is served with tomatoes, cheese, roasted corn, black beans and peppers, topped with pepitas and a creamy salsa dressing. It's 680 calories with 49 grams of fat, 27 carbs and 33 grams protein, according to Chick-fil-A. "I thought, if I [could] eat this salad every day, I wouldn't get bored eating a salad." "I thought, if I [could] eat this salad every single day, I wouldn't get bored eating a salad," Carroll recalled. Because there's no Chick-fil-A in Lincoln, Carroll began making the 4-mile trek to the nearest one in Attleboro, Massachusetts, every single day. Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays, so he'd pick up an extra salad on Saturdays to help him stay on track. Carroll also gave up drinking alcohol – initially just on weekdays. "But when I would drink on the weekends, it would always just lead to bad food decisions." Still, he "wasn't stepping on the scale" to know how much weight he'd lost – until one night when he had a relapse. Carroll ate an entire pizza by himself while watching football and started to feel chest pains again. "They were persistent that night," he said. After waking up his wife in the middle of the night to take him to the emergency room, Carroll weighed himself. He'd seen "a video of a nurse saying it's good to know how much you weigh before you show up to a hospital, in case they need to administer medicine as soon as you get [there]." "So, I got on the scale." He had lost more than 60 pounds. "I was elated," he said. "It was the weirdest feeling ever to go from thinking I was going to die to then being so happy I had lost so much weight by eating the salads." At the ER, Carroll said he saw people in much worse shape than he was — and after finding out that he was not having a heart attack, he became even more motivated to not end up there again. He made a doctor's appointment, joined a gym and continued eating a daily salad, eventually developing a homemade version to eat for dinner. Carroll credits the staff of Chick-fil-A for his weight-loss success. They were some of the first people to know he was trying to lose weight and improve his health, he said. "They became my support system," he said. He called them his "biggest cheerleaders." Carroll said he felt safe sharing his weight loss with the employees. "It was a no-judgment zone," he said, "and I knew they were going to be positive regardless of what I told them." Kelly Springer, a registered dietitian based in Skaneateles, New York, said Carroll seems to be getting protein, vegetables, nutrients and vitamins and "knows exactly what his calories are." She added, "With that consistency, he could see that change over time." Springer said she normally recommends more varieties of fruits and vegetables to help diversify gut bacteria. But "it was [healthier] for him to get into a weight range that doesn't put him at risk [of] chronic disease," she said. For more Lifestyle articles, visit Carroll has lost 132 pounds. He said he's in "maintenance mode" now, feeling better than ever at 228 pounds. "I've been able to maintain that by sticking to my salads every day, making homemade salads for dinner, eating a light breakfast and working out an hour in the gym almost every day," he said. A spokesperson for Chick-fil-A declined to comment.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Man Claims He Lost 132 Pounds by Eating At This Famous Fast Food Restaurant Every Day
Nowadays, it's become commonplace to view fast food as the unhealthiest option for a potential meal. But in a surprising development for the culinary community, a 32-year-old Rhode Island resident is now claiming to have lost 132 pounds from a predominantly fast food-centric eating regimen. In an exclusive interview with Eat This, Not That, digital content producer Tom Carroll said that he shed a shocking amount of weight from eating at Chick-fil-A every day for 14 months. "Back before I was on my health journey, I would have never thought of a fast food restaurant as something that would be my engine for losing weight," Carroll admitted. But by ordering the right options off Chick-fil-A's menu, Carroll experienced a massive change in his physical health. So what is this magic menu item that Carroll ultimately helped lose so much weight? Per Carroll's interview, the 32-year-old revealed that he specifically ordered the Spicy Southwest Salad every day, even going so far to order it a day in advance to prepare for Chick-fil-A's closure on Sundays. At 680 calories, it's one of the restaurant's healthiest meal options, complete with a hearty supply of protein in every bite. "I was always completely conscious of the fact that all the fast food I was eating was keeping me from being healthy," said Carroll. "When I thought 'health foods,' fast food was the furthest thing from my mind. But when it finally clicked for me that this salad from Chick-fil-A was not only healthy, but also fun, easy and delicious just like the burgers and tacos I had been eating my whole adult life, it immediately changed my perception of what fast food could be." By choosing to visit Chick-fil-A so often, Carroll has credited the restaurant for drastically improving his overall quality of life, sentiments he further echoes in his informative essay "Chick-fil-A Saved My Life." Additionally, Carroll has said that strategically cutting out certain foods and beverages like alcoholic drinks significantly helped him cut back on his weight, viewing it as one of the best things he did for his diet.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Chick-fil-A salads helped me lose 130 pounds — Rhode Island man claims
A man in Rhode Island has claimed that eating Chick-fil-A salads helped him lose more than 130 pounds. Tom Carroll shared that for the last two years, the popular fast food chain has unexpectedly shaped his weight loss journey. 'Does it sound it sound crazy to eat one thing every single day from a restaurant? Yeah, it does. But to me, it was vital' Carroll, who's based in Lincoln, Rhode Island, told local NBC news station WJAR on Sunday (February 2). He explained that a concerning series of health scares, including a visit to the emergency room due to chest pains, prompted his decision to make life changes. At the time, he weighed 360 pounds. 'I knew I never wanted to have a night like that again,' he explained. 'It was awful, terrible. And I knew I never wanted to put my wife through that again.' One evening, during a regular trip to Chick-fil-A with his wife, Carroll opted for the Spicy Southwest Salad for the first time. 'I was almost blown away with how good it was,' he recalled. Since that visit, he's had the same salad every day for the past two years. As a result, he's now lost 132 pounds. 'I have my lunch salad from Chick-fil-A and then I have my homemade version of that salad for dinner,' he added. As a dedicated customer at the fast food restaurant near him, he's become friendly with some of the workers who've supported his weight loss journey. 'It's all just worked out awesome,' he explained. 'I can't thank them enough.' However, it isn't just the salad that has helped Carroll lose weight. He's also made some serious changes to his diet, including cutting out alcohol entirely. As noted on Chick-fil-A's website, the Spicy Southwest Salad comes with slices of grilled chicken breast served on a 'fresh bed of mixed greens.' The dish — which is 680 calories – also includes grape tomatoes, blends of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, roasted corn, black beans, poblano chiles, and red bell peppers. Following his two-year journey with the salad, Carroll wrote a Substack about his experience, titled: 'Chick-fil-A Saved My Life.' In the post, he celebrated the fact that he's been able to keep off the 132 pounds he'd lost as of July 2024. He also shared in the post that he's developed a regular workout routine. 'For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I had a long life ahead of me,' he wrote.
The Independent
04-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Chick-fil-A salads helped me lose 130 pounds — Rhode Island man claims
A man in Rhode Island has claimed that eating Chick-fil-A salads helped him lose more than 130 pounds. Tom Carroll shared that for the last two years, the popular fast food chain has unexpectedly shaped his weight loss journey. 'Does it sound it sound crazy to eat one thing every single day from a restaurant? Yeah, it does. But to me, it was vital' Carroll, who's based in Lincoln, Rhode Island, told local NBC news station WJAR on Sunday (February 2). He explained that a concerning series of health scares, including a visit to the emergency room due to chest pains, prompted his decision to make life changes. At the time, he weighed 360 pounds. 'I knew I never wanted to have a night like that again,' he explained. 'It was awful, terrible. And I knew I never wanted to put my wife through that again.' One evening, during a regular trip to Chick-fil-A with his wife, Carroll opted for the Spicy Southwest Salad for the first time. 'I was almost blown away with how good it was,' he recalled. Since that visit, he's had the same salad every day for the past two years. As a result, he's now lost 132 pounds. 'I have my lunch salad from Chick-fil-A and then I have my homemade version of that salad for dinner,' he added. As a dedicated customer at the fast food restaurant near him, he's become friendly with some of the workers who've supported his weight loss journey. 'It's all just worked out awesome,' he explained. 'I can't thank them enough.' However, it isn't just the salad that has helped Carroll lose weight. He's also made some serious changes to his diet, including cutting out alcohol entirely. As noted on Chick-fil-A's website, the Spicy Southwest Salad comes with slices of grilled chicken breast served on a 'fresh bed of mixed greens.' The dish — which is 680 calories – also includes grape tomatoes, blends of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, roasted corn, black beans, poblano chiles, and red bell peppers. Following his two-year journey with the salad, Carroll wrote a Substack about his experience, titled: 'Chick-fil-A Saved My Life.' In the post, he celebrated the fact that he's been able to keep off the 132 pounds he'd lost as of July 2024. He also shared in the post that he's developed a regular workout routine. 'For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I had a long life ahead of me,' he wrote.
