[MikeB]

No matter what you eat, carb, protein or fat if you are in a caloric surplus state any of the 3 macronutrients will be stored as fat (well this is semi-true, you can actually starve to death with a protein only diet, you either need fat or carbs in addition to protein - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation). If you're in a caloric negative state then of course your body will go after both protein and fat, your exercise routine and protein intake depends on the amount of lean body mass or body fat your body goes after.
Also you seem to be indicating that you think white flour/sugar carbs in the end are the same as whole grain/unprocessed carbs (yams, whole grain brown rice etc) and that is simply not true. The blood sugar spikes dramatically changes the way your body will process these carbs. You'll also find that the "bad carbs" vs "good carbs" the amount of food required to go into a caloric surplus is much less. Probably due to the fact that they also contain a ton of fat and since fat is 9 calories per gram vs 4 calories per gram for carbs and protein.

Here's an example:
My old favorite - Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies (regular size) I used to eat a BAG of these a night before bed.
Serving Size 1 serving (32.0 g) 2 cookies
Calories 160 Calories from Fat 72
Total Fat 8.0g
Saturated Fat 2.5g
Total Carbohydrates 21.0g
Dietary Fiber 1.0g
Sugars 10.0g
Protein 2.0g

Yams - boiled
Serving Size 1 serving (136.0 g) 1 cup cubed
Calories 158 Calories from Fat 2
Total Fat 0.2g
Saturated Fat 0.0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0g
Total Carbohydrates 37.4g
Dietary Fiber 5.3g
Sugars 0.7g
Protein 2.0g

Wholemeal Spaghetti noodles - boiled
Serving Size 1 oz (28.0 g)
Calories 32
Calories from Fat 0
Total Fat 0.0g
Total Carbohydrates 6.4g
Dietary Fiber 0.8g
Protein 1.1g