Did fat loss actually move your total T on labs?

Down about 46 lb across nine months. Rechecked hormones last week: total T went from 312 to 428 ng/dL, free T up but less than I expected because SHBG climbed too. Estradiol dropped a little. Sleep is better, I lift three days a week, waist is don five inches. My GP said lose more and retest. A telehealth clinic said start TRT now. Those aren't the same answer, and I genuinely don't know which fits me. What bugs me is how thin the evidence feels. Most of what I can find is small studies or forum anecdotes, and a lot of it gets cited by people already on TRT. I can't tell how much of my bump is fat loss versus sleep versus just moving more. If you lost a real amount of weight first, did your labs respond? Did anyone hit goal and see T plateau, or keep climbing? And for anyone who considered both paths, what actually tipped the decision? Not after dosing advice — just curious what your numbers and timelines looked like.