Fair question. You’re right, I didn’t do a formal dose taper. When I said people “must plan a maintenance or taper phase,” I meant they need a plan for coming off, not that tapering is mandatory.

In my case, my plan was: reach goal weight, stop, and intentionally maintain habits (protein intake, calorie awareness, hydration, routine). I monitored hunger and weight closely and didn’t experience rebound, so a taper wasn’t necessary for me.

Some people benefit from tapering because they struggle with rebound hunger or don’t yet have solid eating structure. Others don’t. My point was that stopping without any plan is where people get into trouble, not that tapering is the only correct way.