^^^^^^ totally agree java, my point I was trying to get at was I was in same boat, thought I was eating good, training hard but lost motivation when not getting anywhere. I did a short sus/dec cycle in mid 30s (details not needed coz bad part of my life) but the gains I saw after a few weeks made me train harder and eat more and more.... (even if the gains were water).
Op..... these guys are seasoned vets go with the food option first... set a 6mth goal.... weigh yourself every 2 weeks and notice that 1lb/2lb/3lb gain... use that as your motivation. Good luck bro