Started hitting the gym a couple of weeks ago and I was told to do isolation machine exercises and some cardio to get my fitness up. I've now started actual free weight training.

I'm 5' 6" and 60 kg. Skinny fat (measured around 20% BF). I'm noticing slight increases of muscle in my chest, shoulders and biceps but not significant. And I don't expect to just be swole after a week of weight training.

My diet rn consists of oats, eggs, chicken, protein powder (only to cover the last bit of my macros), rice with a few fruits and veggies mixed in. I don't take sugar either.

Now the problem is that even before hitting the gym the majority of my fat was on my gut, looks like a beer belly. And even with this bit of time in the gym and eating clean my gut looks pretty noticeable compared to the rest of my body.

I was adviced by a friend who's been lifting for a while to do Intermittent Fasting and HIIT (on rest days) to get some fat burn while I bulk. Is this a good approach?

I understand that I'd put on fat while bulking. But I want to see more mass where it matters instead of just feeding myself to get a bigger belly.

Should I just forget about all of that and keep bulking?