Sorry for the long wait for an answer! We had to work on this one a bit.

The reason is that testosterone causes a higher metabolism that works towards muscle development. DMAB people are assumed to have testosterone of a certain amount, and thus are assumed to need more calories to fuel it.

This is also why calorie needs change throughout life; why young DMAB people are assumed to need more than elderly.

So, that being said, anyone who has more testosterone generally needs more calories, and that includes trans people who go on T.

Of course, the statements aren’t totally rooted in assumed biology.

In general, cis boys are encouraged to eat more and are assumed (and pushed) to do more physical activity, while cis girls are encouraged to eat less and are assumed as doing less demanding work (for example, women’s sports are often considered as less athletic).

Where we see parents joking about their boys eating them out of house and home, you’ll often find these parents criticizing their girls on how they eat and the amount they eat.

So thus we hear the sentiment of “growing boys”, but not “growing girls”.

So there’s cissexism (assuming all and only DMAB people have higher testosterone, thus more calorie needs) and a bit of sexism and gender essentialism sprinkled on top, but there is actual research at the bottom.

The Minnie Maud guidelines is for ANYONE who has a restrictive eating disorder regardless of how “underweight” he/she is. So yes, you need to eat the minimums (generally 3000+ but it may be a bit more depending on your height).

You will gain weight during recovery because your body simply isn’t made to function at the weight you are at now if you got there by restriction/overexercise. Staying at that weight is only damaging your body further. I strongly suggest that you stop exercising and eat at least the minimums (like I said before, usually 3000, but it can be more) and if you can eat more than that, it is even better and you will recover/be happier sooner <3 

I hope this helps!

Whether you need 2500+ or 3000+ depends on your weight, age, height and gender;

THE FOOD INTAKE GUIDELINES

Here are the guidelines for when 2500 calories applies as a minimum daily intake for recovery:

You are a 25+ year old female between 5’0” and 5’8” (152.4 to 173 cm) and,

The regular menstrual cycle has stopped and/or,

You have other symptoms of starvation: feeling the cold, fatigued, foggy headed, hair loss, brittle nails, dull skin and/or,

Even if you were only underweight/dieted for a very short space of time (a few months) these guidelines apply. And remember “underweight” is relative to your body’s optimal weight and is not a clinical measurement. 

Here are the guidelines for when 3000 calories applies as a minimum daily intake for recovery:

You are an under 25 year old female between 5’0” and 5’8” (152.4 to 173 cm) or an over 25 year old male between 5’4” and 6’0” (162.5 and 183 cm) and,

The regular menstrual cycle has stopped and/or,

You have other symptoms of starvation: feeling the cold, fatigued, foggy headed, hair loss, brittle nails, dull skin and/or,

Even if you were only underweight/dieted for a very short space of time (a few months) these guidelines apply. And remember “underweight” is relative to your body’s optimal weight and is not a clinical measurement.

Here are the guidelines for when 3500 calories applies as a minimum daily intake for recovery:

You are an under 25 year old male between 5’4” and 6’0” (162.5 and 183 cm) or female with young children or an equivalent and unavoidable level of activity.

The regular menstrual cycle has stopped and/or,

You have other symptoms of starvation: feeling the cold, fatigued, foggy headed, hair loss, brittle nails, dull skin and/or,

Even if you were only underweight/dieted for a very short space of time (a few months) these guidelines apply. And remember “underweight” is relative to your body’s optimal weight and is not a clinical measurement.

If you are taller than the guidelines listed above, then add 200 calories to the guidelines that match your age and sex. If you are shorter than the guidelines listed above, then you may eat 200 calories less than what is suggested for your age and sex, however these are all minimum guidelines and everyone is expected to eat well above them for a good portion of the recovery process in any case. Please see this this blog post for more details: Extreme Hunger: What Is It?

Check out ”Does the Minniemaud guidelines apply to me?”Spoiler; they do. They really do. The guidelines are MINIMUMS. You are encouraged and expected to eat more, maybe 4-5 times as much during extreme hunger.I think you misunderstood another thing; the MM guidelines are not only for people who are over 5ft! The guidelines suggest that if you are under 5ft, your MM guidelines might be a few hundred calories lower, but once again, the guidelines are minimums. Lets copy some from here;Here are the guidelines for when 3000 calories applies as a minimum daily intake for recovery:

You are an under 25 year old female between 5’0” and 5’8” (152.4 to 173 cm) or an over 25 year old male between 5’4” and 6’0” (162.5 and 183 cm) and,

The regular menstrual cycle has stopped and/or,

You have other symptoms of starvation: feeling the cold, fatigued, foggy headed, hair loss, brittle nails, dull skin and/or,

According to YourEatopia, you first work your way up to 2000 calories, and then increase as much as you want. If you have reached 1700 calories today, you will be able to reach 2000 in 3 days.(But please make sure you are not just overestimating you intake!)

I cannot tell you it is medically safe to follow extreme hunger immediately, although it would be the best idea in itself - because your body desperately needs the energy. You could try to follow extreme hunger, but keep checking for symptoms. If you feel lightheaded, nauseous, clammy, feverish, confused; get a bad headache, vomit, or your hands/feet start swelling up, call 911 immediately! Refeeding syndrome is easily treated in a hospital setting, but is deadly otherwise. However, it is very rare.

I would advice you to wait a couple of more days to increase drastically. Schedule an appointment with your doctor, where you ask for regular follow-ups regarding electrolytes, heart, nerves, etc.

I do not mean to scare you, but I just can’t risk to give you advice that could kill you - and better safe than sorry. Best of luck! <3