Chick-fil-a Food And Employees Helped Man Lose Weight And Change His Life

Chest pains — positive a interest for his weight and wellness — prompted a Rhode Island man to return a wellness travel that he said saved his life. The improbable rescuer? A Chick-fil-A salad.

"I knew I needed to make a change," Tom Carroll, 32, a integer contented shaper from Lincoln, Rhode Island, told Fox News Digital.

At 360 pounds, Carroll had tried and grounded to alteration his fare and lifestyle. But aft Thanksgiving 2023, he had "the astir superior thorax pain" he'd ever experienced.

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"I knew that was a infinitesimal wherever I couldn't messiness astir anymore," he said. 

"I needed to buckle down and return this seriously."

At 360 pounds, Tom Carroll had tried earlier to alteration his fare and lifestyle. But his weight-loss travel began erstwhile his wife, pictured pinch him astatine a Boston Red Sox game, sewage him a Spicy Southwest Salad from Chick-fil-A. (Tom Carroll)

A fewer days later, Carroll's wife, Morgan, decided to prime up Chick-fil-A for meal and asked her hubby for his order. His astonishing reply was a Spicy Southwest Salad.

"Unbeknownst to her, I had made this committedness to myself that I was going to spell connected this wellness travel and return it seriously," Carroll said. "I hadn't talked to anyone astir my thorax pains aliases my desire to lose weight, which, successful hindsight, I regret. I conscionable asked her to prime maine up 1 of those salads."

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Something clicked.

"This crockery was delicious," he said. "I've ever liked thing a small spicier and I emotion Mexican food. This has each those Tex-Mex elements."

Carroll ate a Spicy Southwest Salad from Chick-fil-A each day, which helped him suffer weight, he said. "This crockery was delicious." (Tom Carroll; Chick-fil-A)

The crockery has grilled spicy chickenhearted bosom connected mixed greens and is served pinch tomatoes, cheese, roasted corn, achromatic beans and peppers, topped pinch pepitas and a creamy salsa dressing. 

It's 680 calories pinch 49 grams of fat, 27 carbs and 33 grams protein, according to Chick-fil-A.

"I thought, if I [could] eat this crockery each day, I wouldn't get saturated eating a salad."

"I thought, if I [could] eat this crockery each azygous day, I wouldn't get saturated eating a salad," Carroll recalled. 

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Because there's no Chick-fil-A successful Lincoln, Carroll began making nan 4-mile trek to nan nearest 1 successful Attleboro, Massachusetts, each azygous day. Chick-fil-A is closed connected Sundays, truthful he'd prime up an other crockery connected Saturdays to thief him enactment connected track.

Carroll besides gave up drinking alcohol – initially conscionable connected weekdays.

Carroll besides trim backmost connected drinking alcohol. "It would ever conscionable lead to bad nutrient decisions," he said.  (Tom Carroll)

"But erstwhile I would portion connected nan weekends, it would ever conscionable lead to bad food decisions."

Still, he "wasn't stepping connected nan scale" to cognize really overmuch weight he'd mislaid – until 1 nighttime erstwhile he had a relapse.

Carroll ate an full pizza by himself while watching shot and started to consciousness thorax pains again.

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"They were persistent that night," he said. 

After waking up his woman successful nan mediate of nan nighttime to return him to nan emergency room, Carroll weighed himself. He'd seen "a video of a caregiver saying it's bully to cognize really overmuch you measurement earlier you show up to a hospital, successful lawsuit they request to administer medicine arsenic soon arsenic you get [there]."

"So, I sewage connected nan scale."

Carroll first learned really overmuch weight he'd mislaid aft a nighttime of persistent thorax pains. He woman took him to nan ER. (Tom Carroll)

He had mislaid much than 60 pounds.

"I was elated," he said. "It was nan weirdest emotion ever to spell from reasoning I was going to dice to past being truthful happy I had mislaid truthful overmuch weight by eating nan salads."

At nan ER, Carroll said he saw group successful overmuch worse style than he was — and aft uncovering retired that he was not having a bosom attack, he became moreover much motivated to not extremity up location again.

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He made a doctor's appointment, joined a gym and continued eating a regular salad, yet processing a homemade type to eat for dinner.

Carroll credits nan unit of Chick-fil-A for his weight-loss success. They were immoderate of nan first group to cognize he was trying to suffer weight and amended his health, he said.

"They became my support system," he said. He called them his "biggest cheerleaders."

Carroll called nan unit of his section Chick-fil-A his "biggest cheerleaders." (Tom Carroll)

Carroll said he felt safe sharing his weight nonaccomplishment pinch nan employees.

"It was a no-judgment zone," he said, "and I knew they were going to beryllium affirmative sloppy of what I told them."

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Kelly Springer, a registered dietitian based successful Skaneateles, New York, said Carroll seems to beryllium getting protein, vegetables, nutrients and vitamins and "knows precisely what his calories are."

She added, "With that consistency, he could spot that alteration complete time."

Carroll, shown successful some images above, mislaid a full of 132 pounds. (Tom Carroll)

Springer said she usually recommends much varieties of fruits and vegetables to thief diversify gut bacteria.

But "it was [healthier] for him to get into a weight scope that doesn't put him astatine consequence [of] chronic disease," she said.

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Carroll has mislaid 132 pounds. He said he's successful "maintenance mode" now, emotion amended than ever astatine 228 pounds.

Carroll, astatine left, is pictured pinch a friend astatine a Boston Celtics game. He said he feels amended than ever astatine 228 pounds. (Tom Carroll)

"I've been capable to support that by sticking to my salads each day, making homemade salads for dinner, eating a ray meal and moving retired an hr successful nan gym almost each day," he said.

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A spokesperson for Chick-fil-A declined to comment.