Yep—this is actually very common, and you’re definitely not alone.
A lot of surgeons don’t require a special pre-op diet unless:
- it’s a surgery where liver size or stomach contents really matter (like some bariatric surgeries), or
- you have specific medical conditions that change the plan.
For many procedures, the only hard rule is exactly what you were told: nothing by mouth after midnight (sometimes they’ll allow clear liquids up to a few hours before, but surgeons vary).
Plenty of people go into surgery:
- eating normally the day before
- then fasting from midnight
- and everything goes just fine
If your surgeon said it’s okay, that’s the plan tailored to you, which matters more than what others did.
Totally fair to feel unsure when you hear different stories, though—it can mess with your head right before surgery. If you want, you can tell me what kind of surgery it is and I can explain why some people need a pre-op diet and others don’t (purely informational, not medical advice).