The 33-Day Deployment Cut: Chaos, Creatine, and Data

Cutting on a deployment is a strange paradox: the structured routine makes it easier, but the lack of control over your food makes it a daily battle. I've officially completed 33 days of my deployment cut so far, and it has been a massive learning experience. There have been a lot of variables, and I have some things I'll need to tighten up for the next 60 days, but here is the operational rundown so far.

"Adapt to the chaos, protect the protein, and execute anyway."

The Training Shift

At the beginning of this cut, I was on the tail end of a strict 8-week strength training split, lifting 5-6 days a week. For the last three weeks, I transitioned into a Full-Body / Engine Training split. This shift has successfully maintained the baseline strength I earned during my heavy lifting block, while actively increasing my athleticism, conditioning, and overall health to match the cut.

The Metrics & The Mess

I know the data looks a little messy right now. I wasn't able to launch all of these tracking metrics perfectly on Day 1, and on some days, I couldn't log anything at all because mission tasks simply had to take priority. But I logged what I could, stayed as consistent as possible, and balanced out the variables as they came. Here is where the numbers sit:

• Starting Weight: 186-188 lbs (daily walking-around weight)
• The Drop: 181 lbs (after the initial hard cut and glycogen depletion)
• Current Weight: 183-184 lbs (finally creatine loaded and stabilized)
• Body Fat: My fasted InBody scan put me at 9.6%, though realistically, I estimate my true body fat is probably closer to 11%.

The Daily Log

My goal has been to stay under 2,500 calories a day. Since DFAC food is essentially random and my calculations are often "best guesses," I'd say we did a pretty solid job staying on target. As you can see in the full log below, my non-negotiable metric was protein — I kept it high regardless of the overall calorie count because I firmly believe in a slow cut to retain as much muscle mass as possible. The four blank days are mission days where logging simply wasn't possible.

Averages are calculated across the 29 logged days (Days 16–19 excluded — mission tasks took priority).

For the first 30 days, I had to avoid posting progress pictures and workout videos for operational reasons, but I am hoping to start sharing more visual data over the final 60 days of this journey.

This challenge has been incredibly informative. I've learned a ton about how my body responds to specific stressors, and I love the friction it brings. I hope this transparency helps some of you navigate your own cuts or fitness hurdles. I'll keep the updates coming.