CryptoCarl said:

The single most useful discipline is bringing the whole panel to a clinician rather than one flagged value.

PSA: get baseline labs BEFORE starting baseline bloodwork therapy. You need a "before" picture to measure progress. My recommended pre-treatment panel:

1. CMP + A1C + fasting insulin
2. Complete lipid panel with particle count if possible
3. hsCRP, ferritin, B12, vitamin D
4. Thyroid panel (TSH + free T4)
5. CBC with differential
6. Liver panel (ALT, AST, GGT)
7. DEXA scan or body composition

Total cost at Quest without insurance: ~$200. Worth every penny for the data.

One thing that is still open after andrew_nyc’s answer:

What actually belongs on a baseline panel, as opposed to the enormous list that gets pasted around here?

bri_stats said:

PSA: get baseline labs BEFORE starting baseline bloodwork therapy.

Shot day Friday report relevant to baseline bloodwork:

Week 34. Currently on 1.0mg. Down 40 lbs from starting weight of 252 lbs.

This week's observations: Slight injection site redness, resolved in 24h.

Labs due next week — looking forward to seeing the metabolic panel. I'll post results in the Lab Results section when they come in.

Closing the loop on my own question.

Took the whole panel in rather than the one flagged line, and the conversation lasted two minutes instead of generating three more tests.

NurseKim_ATL said:

Shot day Friday report relevant to baseline bloodwork: Week 34.

NurseKim_ATL has the substance of this right. The condition it depends on is worth stating. One addition: if the lab changes analytical platform between your draws, the comparison breaks and nobody tells you. It is worth asking when a value moves inexplicably.