NEW ORLEANS, LA - MAY 17: New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu receives the kata, a Tibetan scarf after he presented the Dalai Lama the key to the city during the "Resilience, Strength through Compassion and Connection Conference" at the Convention Center on May 17, 2013 in New Orleans, Los Angeles. PHOTOGRAPH BY The Times-Picayune /Landov / Barcroft Media

Pauline Heng, Tony Liu, Ling Khor, and Jak Heng play Mahjong on top of Harbour Bridge on May 17, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. A game of Mahjong took place on the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge today (May, 17, 2013). It was a spectacular sight as East-meet-West on top of one of Australia's most recognisable icons. The players, Pauline Heng, Tony Liu, Ling Khor and Jak Heng, scaled to the summit of the Bridge, 134 metres above sea level, and tested each other's skills in this sport which combines skill, strategy and luck. It was also the ultimate test of concentration as the players attempted to focus on their play, and not be distracted by the panoramic views of Sydney and the Harbour on all sides.

YUSHU, TIBET - MAY 13: Orphan students take physical exercise class at the Bayi Orphan School on May 13, 2013 in Yushu, Tibet. The school is now a home of 323 orphan students who are instructed and cared by 57 teachers. PHOTOGRAPH BY Xinhua /Landov / Barcroft Media

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - MAY 12: Altar boys give away red roses to mothers during a mass on mother's day at Marikina city on May 12, 2013 in Manila, Philippines. As per British charity Save the Children annual report Philippines is one of the worst places in Southeast Asia to be a mother, ranking 106 out of 176 countries. PHOTOGRAPH BY Ezra Acayan / Barcroft Media

Pretty 23-year-old Tammy Jung force feeds herself every day with a FUNNEL - in a bid to become as fat as possible. Tammy was once a healthy eight-stone teenager who wore skinny jeans, loved playing volleyball and going out with friends. But in a bizarre reversal of a crash diet, Tammy turned her back on her slim good looks, and spends her days indoors stuffing herself with fried chicken, donuts and whole blocks of cheese. She even allows boyfriend Johan Ubermen, 28, to pour ice cream milkshakes down her throat, in an attempt to put away 5,000 calories a day. Tammy's frightening diet has seen her weight soar 3.5 stones every six months, and she now weighs a hefty 16.5 stones. The once svelte young woman is piling on the pounds to earn money as a Big Beautiful Woman on internet websites and hopes to one day top 30 stone. Tammy, who has fat-loving male fans from around the world, has been warned she is putting her health at risk and shortening her life. But the determined young gainer celebrates every pound she adds and insists she doesn't care about damaging her body. She said: "I've never been happier than I am working to put on weight - nothing will stop me achieving my dream. "I know it's controversial but it's no one else's business - eating makes me happy. "I'm making lots of money doing what I love - and I want to make even more. "As far as I'm concerned there is no such thing as too big." Aided by her feeder boyfriend Johan, Tammy chomps her way through up to 30 donuts a day and stacks of pancakes and waffles. The couple can spend up to £70 a day on takeaways and junk food to fuel mammoth Tammy's appetite. Tammy said: "I start the day with a huge breakfast of waffles, cream cheese, bacon and sausage then head to McDonalds for a few burgers in the afternoon. "I can snack on cheese all day, a couple of blocks is no problem, then for dinner I'll either eat pizzas or make Mexican food. "At the end of the day I make a weight gain shake from heavy whip cream and a whole tub of ice cream, which Yohan feeds me through a funnel. "The funnel forces me to drink the shake even when I'm full after a day of eating." As a teenager, Tammy played volley ball and soccer and weighed a healthy eight stone, but felt insecure despite her healthy frame. She said: "I used to be self-conscious about my appearance. I always thought I was fat and had low self esteem. "After I gave up sports, I began putting on weight. At first I was in denial. But one day I looked in the mirror and realised I was fat - and I felt great about it. "My body looks so sexy and I feel more womanly the heavier I get." With a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 45, 5ft 2" Tammy is almost twice the average for a woman her size. Tammy even films herself eating on camera for an army of online fans. She said: "I get a lot of requests to eat and weigh myself on camera. Some guys even send me scripts so I know what to say. "I can make up to £1,000 a month if I work at it, and I'm hoping to earn more the bigger I get." Yohan, her boyfriend of eight months, doesn't worry about the attention from other men. He said: "I noticed early on that she really likes to eat and was eating more than me when we went for dinner - I was impressed. "I would love her no matter what she looked like." Incredibly, Tammy's family have no idea what she does for a living - or that her weight gain is deliberate. She said: "My family have noticed that I a putting on weight but they still don't know I'm doing it on purpose. "They probably wouldn't agree with it but I'm making a living and supporting myself." Dr Claude Matar, of the Pasadena Weight Loss Center, said: "It’s very straightforward, she is causing her life to be shorter. "She has taken the risk of dying early. Her potential for dying early was over 100 per cent."

THIS is what the world eats each week - as families from Bosnia to Mongolia stand surrounded by their weeks shopping. The photo series by Peter Menzel, from California, USA, depicts a week's worth of eating for each family. Menzel travelled alongside accomplice Faith D'Aluisio to 24 countries, visiting thirty families from Bhutan and Bosnia to Mexico and Mongolia.