calorie goal for lunch

Really, it's up to you. And, we can't give concrete recommendations without knowing your daily calorie target.

I will say, though, that 360 cals for lunch seems very low for a guy. I mean, I'm a 5'2", 119 lb, 39 yr. old female desk-jockey who is still losing and I eat more than that for lunch - usually around 500 cals.

If you eat three meals a day, try splitting your calories into thirds across each meal.
If you eat three meals a day, but also want to snack, try eating a fourth of your calories for each meal, reserving a fourth for multiple snacks.

If you find you tend to get hungrier at a particular meal, allocate more calories and make sure you eat enough protein and fat to satisfy you.

Some people find that skipping a meal and allocating those calories to other meals helps, so you might give that a try. I do this - I skip breakfast, eat lunch around 11am, dinner around 5pm, and a third meal including something sweet around 10pm. Before, I was eating 4 meals and it just spread out my calories too much. I'm always wanting food at the end of the day, while tea will satisfy me in the morning, so it was a logical choice.

It depends on your daily calorie allotment and when you prefer to eat a larger meal. Personally, I like a hot drink for breakfast, a light lunch of 350 cals, then a heavy dinner and small bedtime snack buti only eat 1400 a day. If you are hungry all morning try a protein heavy breakfast like eggs and ham. Depending on your daily calorie limit, you can have a larger lunch with more fat and protein. I would be starving from eating sugary pineapple. Perhaps playing with your macros at each meal would help you stay full

Today lunch will be about 511 calories, give or take. Curry and rice, yum!

525 cals for me. (26g protein, 22g fat, 50ish carbs -QA for the salad)
1/2 Panera Asiago Steak sandwich
5 pickles (probably more to come)
Some salad
1 petite shortbread cookie
Diet Coke

My original lunch was going to be 777 cals (55g protein, 45g fat, 31g cards)
Balsamic chicken thighs (627 cals)
entire package of frozen asparagus (50cals)
entire package of frozen broccoli in cheese sauce (100 cals)

Like people said...it's up to you.

I will say that for breakfast and lunch, I eat clean/low cal/paleo/whatever you want to call it, so that I have more calories at the end of the night. I usually try to eat around 250 for breakfast and under 300 for lunch. That leaves me with at least 2k in the evenings.

There isn't anything saying you can't have more of your calories for breakfast or lunch and less at dinner. If I have more calories at lunch then I have something light like soup for dinner. And I always have a little something late in the afternoon (apple etc.) so I'm not starving the minute I walk into the house and eat everything that isn't nailed down. My mother always used to say "Breakfast for a king, lunch for a queen and dinner for a pauper".

These are your calories - figure out how many meals you will be eating during the day (3 meals & 1 snack or 2) and divide them however it suits your needs and you can mix the number of meals up too. I have my diary set for 3 meals and 2 snacks but most of the time I skip the morning snack.

It really is up to you. Mine is normally somewhere between 300-500 calories. I prefer to have the bulk of my intake in the evening.

This is what I ate for lunch. Less than 400 calories, yummy, and filled me up.

Flat Out Hungry Girl Traditional White - Flat Bread, 1 flat bread
Borden - Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese Slice, 1 slice
Oscar Mayer - Selects Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast From Label, 6 slices
Spinach, Tomato, Onion, Mustard
Quaker - Popped Rice Cakes- Cheddar Cheese Flavor, 18 mini cakes
2 Pickle Spears
Large Diet Coke

I need a substantial amount of food to make me feel satisfied, a can of pineapple is not going to cut it. I also eat chicken lentil soup with 50% reduced fat cheese on top, 12 whole grain crackers and an unsweetened applesauce which is about 550 calories, and it feels me up. Also a Morningstar veggie pattie on a hamburger bun, lettuce, tomato, onion mustard, Cape Cod 50% reduced fat chips and a couple of pickle spears is less than 400 calories.

My lunches are usually anywhere between 250 and 700 calories.