LipidDoc_ATL said:

Order of operations matters more than any single choice here: establish a baseline, change one thing, wait long enough for it to express itself, then…

This is my experience too, for whatever a second data point is worth. Nothing to add that would improve it.

LipidDoc_ATL said:

Order of operations matters more than any single choice here: establish a baseline, change one thing, wait long enough for it to express itself, then…

There is a second half to this that has not been said yet. It helps to say which part of this you are uncertain about. A precise question gets a precise answer; a general one gets everybody’s favourite anecdote.

That is the short version; the long version is somebody else's post.

Moderator note: leaving this open. It is being argued well and the disagreement is the useful part. Thread quality here is what the rules are for. Keep it up.

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

How long did you give it before you decided it was working?

nancy_portland said:

It helps to say which part of this you are uncertain about.

I do not accept the framing. The question has been narrowed to the version that has a tidy answer, and the part that was dropped is the part the OP actually asked about.