A Rhode Island man says Chick-fil-A helped save his life after he lost 132 pounds by eating the chain’s Spicy Southwest Salad for lunch every day for more than a year.

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 saw he weighed 360 pounds.

“I had never seen it so high,” Carroll wrote in an article 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.”

Before that, the 34-year-old said the last time he weighed himself was during a doctor’s visit, when a nurse hinted that his health might be at risk.

“Until it ain’t,” the nurse supposedly said.

“I didn’t ask for a clarification, obviously – had internally died on impact as soon as she said it,” Carroll confessed.

After an uncomfortable doctor’s visit in 2019, the creative producer avoided going back, feeling too embarrassed to face another appointment. That moment sparked his decision to start making changes to his diet. Still, it wasn’t until Black Friday 2023 that he fully committed to his Chick-fil-A routine. While enjoying Thanksgiving leftovers with his wife and friends, Carroll experienced what he believed was a heart attack.

“I had never felt anything like it before, and I hope to never feel anything like it again,” Carroll wrote. “This was the closest I have ever felt to death.”

Carroll’s go-to lunch is Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Southwest Salad, a flavorful mix of greens, tomatoes, roasted corn, black beans, chiles, red bell peppers, cheese, and grilled chicken. The meal totals about 680 calories and comes with tortilla strips, pepitas, and a creamy salsa dressing. To stay on track, Carroll would often replicate the salad at home for dinner and stock up on extra portions ahead of Sundays, when Chick-fil-A is closed.

Carroll struggled with his health before he made this 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.”

Carroll kept the rest of his meals light, usually sticking to yogurt and fruit for breakfast—when he didn’t skip it altogether.

Alongside his revamped diet, he made other significant lifestyle changes. He began hitting the gym regularly and eliminated sugary drinks like soda and sports drinks from his routine per the New York Post.

A longtime sports fan, Carroll also gave up alcohol—not just to avoid the extra calories, but because it often triggered cravings for unhealthy snacks. By December 2023, his weight had dropped below 300 pounds, and by July 2024, he had slimmed down to 228 pounds.

Since then, the media professional has successfully maintained his weight loss without gaining any of it back.