Originally Posted by Choopa Phil

But you have to realize, you have a belly...this is comprised of fat and needs to be burned before you can eat in a caloric surplus to gain muscle mass. If you eat in a surplus now some will go to fat gain some will go to building mass.

You need to bring the fat down before you can build yourself back up. Thats not to say dont lift weights, just dont eat in a surplus or do fasted cardio in the AM with a very small calorie surplus.