Confidence comes through the reflection of the journey the adversity and trials you’ve overcome. You’ve proven yourself a discipled warrior. The countless hours in the gym, the meal prep, and sacrifices you’ve made to achieve your goals. Others won’t understand what you’ve accomplished and put yourself through. They only see the results. Sure it’s nice to be complimented but long term confidence comes from knowing you can set challenges push yourself and overcome them.
Worked with a super capable guy who had a similar build but had trouble putting on extra mass. I recommend fasting for a day or two to reset gut bacteria, then the first thing you eat, your microbiome will get efficient at digesting that thing. Timing out your meals and sorting out which animals you’re genetically predisposed to consuming is difficult in the USA (for now) but you’ll sort it out.